The Trials
by hhgbh
Summary: All the ZFighters and their friends are being challenged by alien warriors. But who sent them? And what are their plans concerning Gohan and Goten?
1. Default Chapter

The Trials

By Saiyanx

Chapter 1

The lectures at East Satan City University had come to an end. All the students were looking forward to their weekend. Late night parties, morning lay-ins… and perhaps some studying, if they could squeeze it in.

Beyond the University grounds, in a small parkland area, a 19-year old, half saiyan was saying his goodbyes.

"Are you sure you don't want to come home with me for the weekend, Videl?" Gohan asked as he mounted his Nimbus cloud.

"No, I really gotta study for that test on Monday." The dark-haired girl answered. "Unlike some people I know, I didn't master advanced physics at the age of four!" She added with a grin.

Gohan put his hand behind his head and laughed. With one last goodbye, he took off. The Nimbus cloud leaving a golden trail as it disappeared over the horizon.

A pair of eyes watched Gohan leave. These eyes didn't belong to Videl, and they were watching from the concealment of some nearby bushes.

Dolt wanted to make absolutely sure that Gohan was too far away to sense him when he made his attack. His boss had made it perfectly clear that he not approach Gohan. Not that Dolt had any intention of doing so. He'd heard of the saiyans' awesome strength, especially that of Son Goku, and he liked his facial features in their current arrangement!

But this was just a human! Dolt couldn't help but feel insulted that the boss would select such a weak opponent for him. He'd have preferred to have been given someone at least a bit challenging, like the namek. Though Dolt figured the boss probably wanted him for himself.

'Oh well.' Dolt shrugged. 'At least I won't have to raise my power level.'

With his power level masked and his natural camouflage ability concealing his body, Dolt was certain that neither Gohan nor Videl would know of his presence until the fight was over. With this in mind, Dolt moved from the bushes and approached Videl from behind. His feet didn't make a sound on the grass. When he was just about a foot away from her, he leapt into the air – and was immediately knocked back down to the ground by Videl's foot!

The shock of the blow caused Dolt's camouflage to wear off and his true appearance was revealed to the girl. If Dolt stood up straight he'd be about five feet tall, but he rarely stood up straight. He had long legs that bent at the knees, like a frog's. On his big feet he wore, what looked like, metal clogs. His lean body was covered by sliver metallic amour that molded to him like a second skin. His skinny arms were bare, except for some thick bands on his wrists, and he had light pink skin. On his head were two pointed ears and spiky brown hair.

Rubbing his face, where Videl's boot had left an imprint, Dolt got back to his feet.

"How did you know I was there!" He snarled at Videl. "I had my energy masked and everything!"

"Next time, you should find a way to mask your smell!" Videl answered while wrinkling her nose.

With an enraged howl, Dolt charged at Videl. He went to strike her with a karate chop, but she leapt back and went straight up into the air. Dolt's eyes followed her and he smirked.

"Flying won't do any good against me!" He said. He squatted down so that his knees were fully bent and then sprang into the air. He flew past Videl, so that he was high above her. Now, with his legs straight and his thick metal clogs aiming at Videl's head, he let himself drop.

Videl saw her opponent coming down towards her, like a missile. His clogs were turning red with the speed he was falling. Videl launched herself to the side and just managed to avoid being hit by the mini-meteor. Dolt hit the ground with an ear-splitting crash! Videl had to cross her arms in front of her to protect herself from pieces of earth that were sent skyward by the force of the landing.

Once the dust had settled, a very angry Dolt was revealed. Angry because (1) he'd missed his target and (2) he was now buried up to his waist in the ground. Muttering to himself, he put his hands on the ground and heaved… and heaved again.

Videl watched him struggle from up in the air, a small sweat drop on the side of her head. He wasn't going to get out any time soon. He was well and truly stuck!

She landed on the ground and watched the cursing alien, wondering what she should do now. To be honest, she hadn't thought that far ahead. She hadn't even been certain she could win against him. Gohan had told her many stories about how he and his father had fought off various alien invaders. All of them had been about as strong as a normal saiyan, and Videl knew she was nowhere near that powerful.

"Well, it looks like you've won. Congratulations."

Videl turned sharply at the new voice. Behind her was standing a person wearing the same armor as Dolt. In addition to his armor he had a long, black cape draped over his shoulders. He had black skin and black hair that went down to his shoulders. Aside from his red eyes, he almost looked human.

"Hey, Lance!" Dolt called out to the newcomer. "Help me out of here! I can still beat her!"

Lance looked at Dolt with a sneer of contempt.

"You know the rules Dolt! If you can't even beat a mere human on your own, then you have no place in Snail's forces!"

Dolt's jaw hit the ground. He immediately started yelling,

"What? You can't just cast me aside! I've been with lord Snail since the beginning! If it weren't for me, neither you or the others would have these jobs! I-"

Lance decided to ignore the shrieking imbecile. Instead, he turned his attention back to Videl.

"Well young lady. Like I said, you won. So it's only fair that you get your prize."

Suddenly, a clap of thunder sounded out. Videl looked up to the sky. Where, only a few seconds ago, it had been clear and blue, dark clouds now formed a circular shape. All of a sudden, out of those clouds, burst a bright blue beam of light. Before Videl could move, the light hit her and she was instantly paralyzed. She cried out in pain, but the cry was cut off as she disappeared into thin air. The light then faded as everything returned to normal.

Lance stood with his arms crossed and a smile on his face.

"Lucky girl. Well," He turned with a swirl of his cape. "I better go find my opponent so that I can join her."

"Hey! What about me?" Dolt continued his loudmouthed protest. Lance was quickly starting to lose his patience with him. "You can't leave me here like this! Not after all I've done for you, you ungrateful son of a!"

"Alright!" Lance reached down, grabbed a chunk of Dolt's hair and pulled him out of the ground. "If you'll just shut up, I'll let you come with me, Quiver and Mingen! Where we're going, there should be four opponents. You can try your luck against one of them. But if you lose again, that's it. You're out!"

And with that, Lance, still holding a protesting Dolt by the hair, flew off into the sky.

(Scene change. Why the hell won't quickedit let me have gaps between my scenes?)

Gohan could see his house already. The small modest abode in the country where he had spent his childhood (when he wasn't battling evil aliens or setting off across the universe in search of dragon balls).

As Nimbus swooped down for a landing, the front door opened and a spiky haired, hyper-active, little demi-saiyan came running out to greet him.

"Gohan! You're back!"

Goten was dressed in his fighting clothes. A miniature version of their father's orange uniform with a dark blue, long sleeved shirt on underneath. And, speak of the devil, their father came out the door behind him. He was in true 'Goku' form, with a goofy smile on his face and an apple in his hand. And just behind him, was the fourth member of their family. Chichi threw her arms around her son,

"Oh Gohan, it's so good to have you home! Have you been eating right? You haven't been staying up too late, have you?"

Gohan smiled. Everything was just as he remembered it. Suddenly, Goten started tugging on his hand.

"Gohan, will you come and train with me? I want to show you my new technique!"

"New technique?" Gohan looked at his father.

"Hey, it had nothing to do with me!" Said Goku with a grin. "He invented it all by himself!"

"Please! It's really awesome! You're the only one I haven't shown it to!"

"Oh okay then," Said Gohan. "But let me change into my uniform first."

"Don't be too long Gohan." Said Chichi. "We're all meeting up at Bulma's in a few hours."


	2. 2

(Thanks to Marshmellow Dragon for my first ever review!)

Chapter 2

"Okay! Now you just stand there, Gohan!" Goten pushed his brother to a spot on the wide green field and pointed to a large rock formation. "Keep your eye on that!"

The little boy then yelled as he transformed into a super saiyan. His hair was now golden and stood up on end. His eyes had turned a bluish-green and his entire body was surrounded by a golden aura. He took off into the air and flew towards the huge structure.

Frankly, Gohan was surprised that there were any rocks still standing near their home, considering they were often used for target practice by the Son boys.

As Goten approached the large rock, he put his arms by his sides and started spinning at a high speed. Gohan's eyes widened as his little brother became a spinning blur of golden energy. From inside the cyclone, Goten's voice cried out,

TORNADO CHARGE!

He crashed into the rock face and the whole structure exploded with a deafening boom! Gohan had to brace himself against the shockwave that the impact caused. When he lowered his arms, he saw that the entire rock formation had disappeared and a sizable crater had taken its' place.

"Wow. Goten, that was amazing!" He stood with a huge grin on his face, but then he noticed that he couldn't see Goten anymore. "Goten?" He called out, but there was no answer.

"Oh boy…" He took off through the air towards the crater, and saw a long groove was cut into the earth. At the end of it lay Goten face down, on the ground. Gohan landed beside him and turned him over. His hair had returned to normal and there were spirals in his eyes. Gohan started shaking him gently.

"Hey Goten. Are you alright?"

Goten's eyes suddenly snapped back to normal. He sat up and shook his head, partly to clear his vision, but mostly to get rid of the Shenrons flying in front of his eyes.

"Yeah. I still haven't gotten used to the landings!"

(scene change)

Vegeta usually hated sneaking around. As a saiyan warrior, he believed in standing your ground and facing your enemies. But the various battles he'd fought in over the years had taught him that there were some enemies that best be handled with stealth. And this was the strategy he was employing now. He moved swiftly but silently across the ground. The object of his unease currently had its' back to him and he only had a few meters left to go. He was nearly home-free.

Suddenly, an object on the ground was knocked over by his foot. He looked down. It was one of Trunks' action figures. Vegeta prayed that the sound it made wasn't enough to attract _its'_ attention, but alas, it was.

"Oh Vegeta, dear! There you are! Could you help with taking the plates out to the backyard? There's so much food to carry, what with you and Trunks, and Goku and his boys, and Buu. Oh, and afterwards, I want to show you these darling shirts I found. I think they would look perfect on you!"

Vegeta's posture visibly slumped. Of all the opponents he'd fought, of all the dangers he'd faced, none of them even matched up to the seemingly tireless Mrs. Brief!

Women had always been an enigma to him, but she was something else altogether! She perpetually had her eyes closed, yet she never stumbled nor bumped into anything. And, was it just him, or had she not aged _at all_ since he first met her thirteen years ago!

As Vegeta dejectedly followed his mother-in-law into the Capsule Corporation building, around the back, the first of Bulma's visitors were arriving.

"Krillin! 18! It's great to see you guys again!" Bulma beamed as she greeted the former monk and his blonde-haired wife. 18 held their four-year old daughter, Marron, in her arms.

"Hi, Sweetie! Wow, you're getting big!" Bulma smiled at the little girl. "You guys are the first to arrive. The others should be here soon."

It only took a little time for all the food to be taken out to the backyard and for everyone to have settled down.

"I'm surprised Roshi didn't come with you guys." Bulma said to Krillin as they sat around a small white table.

"Err… He was going to, but then he got one of his _problems_!" Krillin answered awkwardly. Bulma decided not to pursue the matter any further.

"Anyway, where's Yamcha?" Krillin asked.

"Oh, he, Puar and Oolong have gone on one of their drives across the desert. You know, to get away from the city for a while."

"In _his_ car?" Krillin exclaimed, wide-eyed.

"I know. I keep telling him to get a new one. One that actually has to _hit_ something before it bursts into flames!"

"Hey, Mom." Trunks suddenly appeared at the table. "When's Gohan and Goten gonna get here? I'm bored!"

"Looking for a little excitement, kid?"

Everyone looked up to see four figures hovering above them. The one who'd spoken was white-skinned, bald and had a strange-looking case strapped to his back. He smiled and spoke again,

"You should be careful what you wish for!"

And with that, he and his three comrades raised their hands and fired energy waves down into the garden!

Everyone who could fly quickly grabbed someone who couldn't and took off into the air, before the blasts hit. Vegeta had Mrs. Brief, Trunks had Dr. Brief, Krillin had Bulma and 18 had Marron. They watched the four attackers hovering in front of them. Each of them wearing the typical 'evil henchmen' grin.

Krillin sighed,

"You'd think we'd have learnt our lesson by now, and stopped having get-togethers!"


	3. 3

Thanks to miroku-has-darkness and animeluv4ever for your reviews.

Chapter 3

Gohan and Goten moved over the fields like stones skimming across a lake. Goten launched himself at Gohan, aiming a punch to his head. Gohan blocked and countered with a punch of his own. Goten ducked under it and attempted to head-butt Gohan in the stomach, but Gohan flipped over his head and landed on the ground. That little scuffle had lasted about two seconds.

Most onlookers would've gawked at the speed with which the two brothers were fighting, but Goten was quickly starting to get bored. As they broke apart after another two second blitz at each other, Goten said,

"It's too bad we can't train as super saiyans any more. That was a lot more fun."

"Sorry, Squirt." Replied Gohan. "But you know what'll happen if I go super saiyan again."

Thanks to Gohan's mystic ability, he now had the power to transcend even his father and Vegeta in strength. That is, if he were to go super saiyan. But, the problem was, while the old kai had given him the power that he had locked inside of him, he hadn't had time to train Gohan on how to fully control it. So Gohan was able to unlock his hidden potential, but only as far as it would go in his normal form. If he were to try and increase his power by transforming into a super saiyan, the resulting energy given off could possibly destroy the Earth! That was why Gohan had not turned super saiyan during his fight against Majin Buu, even when the tables had turned on him.

Goku had gotten in contact with King Kai and asked him if the old kai would help Gohan control his mystic power so that he could safely go super saiyan again. The old kai had said he would be glad to, as long as Gohan didn't mind spending the next century in perpetual deep meditation!

So he and Goten continued to train in their normal forms. The fight escalated to the point where the two brothers punched each other in the face, not only knocking each other to the ground, but causing the land around them to be leveled out in a 50 metre radius.

As they picked themselves up, the boys became aware of a sound not to far off from them. They turned to the direction it came from and their eyes widened in surprise. Sitting on a large boulder, just outside the circle of land they'd flattened, a being was clapping his hands. Noticing the green skin, antenna and fangs, it was obvious where this stranger was from.

The namek hopped down off of the boulder, still applauding the half-saiyans.

"Bravo!" He said. His voice had a very _refined_ tone to it. "That was an incredible display of power. And you boys weren't even fighting at your fullest! What amazing creatures you saiyans are!"

Gohan blinked at the newcomer and then straightened up. He felt that he should say something.

"Err, thanks. Mr. um…"

"Oh," The namek gave a little laugh. "Of course. Where are my manners? My name's Snail. I happen to know your friend Dende."

"You're a friend of Dende's?" Goten said with a smile on his face. He walked up to Snail. "Are there any other nameks with you?" He looked around, as if expecting to see more green men pop out from behind rocks.

"No, no one from Namek. But I did come with some friends. In fact, we came here looking for you."

Gohan looked up at this.

"Us? Why?" His face suddenly turned serious. "Has something happened on Namek!"

"Oh no, no." Snail waved his hands reassuringly. "Everyone on Namek is just fine. I came here because I thought I could perhaps help you."

"Help us?" Said Gohan. "To do what?"

"To reach your full potential." Snail cleared his throat, as if he were about to give a speech. "Now, as a namek, I am reasonably skilled in the art of ki manipulation. But I've always considered myself as something of an intellectual. Much like yourself Gohan." He nodded in the young saiyan's direction. "I feel that it is not enough to simply know how to use ki. In order to use it at its' maximum efficiency, one must be able to understand how ki, itself, works. Now you saiyans are able to raise your ki levels to exceptional heights. But, as you've experienced, this level of power does have its' drawbacks. For example, your father's ability to transform into a super saiyan 3. In this form, he is able to achieve much higher levels of power, but using it puts a strain on his body and so drains his stamina."

Snail put his hands behind his back and gave Gohan and Goten a fanged grin.

"But I believe I have found a solution to that problem!"

Gohan's eyes widened.

"You can help my father become a super saiyan 3 without losing his energy?"

"Not just your father. You, and all of your friends, will be able to achieve your full potential, once I've shown you my discovery."

"Wow!" Goten started jumping up and down. "This is gonna be great! Gohan, you'll be able to go super saiyan again and we can train for real! Come on!" He grabbed his brother's hand. "Let's go tell Dad!"

"No need for that." Said Snail. "My friends are already meeting up with your father and the others, and they should meet us on the ship."

"You came in a spaceship!" Goten's eyes were now shining.

"Well, of course." Snail smiled down at Goten. "You think we _walked_ here, all the way from Namek?"

Having said that, Snail lifted his arm and pressed a button on his wristband. Gohan and Goten looked up as clouds suddenly started to form overhead. Suddenly, a bright blue beam appeared and covered the three of them. Before Gohan or Goten had time to even question what was going on, they disappeared, and the landscape was left quiet and empty.

(Scene Change)

"Where _are_ those boys?" Chichi stood outside the house, her eyes searching the horizon for any sign of Gohan or Goten. "I told Gohan not to be too long!"

"Maybe they just lost track of time." Goku joined her, that carefree smile still on his face. "I'll just go bring them back."

He placed his index and middle finger on his forehead and closed his eyes. Suddenly, the smile on his face disappeared.

"That's strange." He said. "I can't sense Gohan or Goten's energy."

"What?" Chichi instantly switched to 'concerned mother' mode.

"This is weird!" Goku started turning round, as if trying to sense in every direction. "If they were attacked, I would've picked up the raised power levels for certain! Something strange is going on here!"

"Oh, you have no idea!"

Goku looked up just in time to see a beam of energy falling from the sky, towards him! Grabbing Chichi, he leapt away from the blast and cast his eyes to the sky, to try and locate his attacker.

"I'm right behind you." Goku turned to see a wolf-like creature standing before him with his arms crossed. He had brown fur, blue eyes and a fully mechanical tail that, for now, rested on the ground behind him.

"Oh, I get it." Goku put Chichi down and faced the alien, a confident smile on his face. "You're a cyborg, aren't you? That's why I couldn't sense you coming. And I'm guessing that tail of yours isn't the only enhancement you've had."

The wolf cocked an eyebrow and smiled at Goku.

"You're smarter than you look. This fight might just be interesting after all." He got into a fighting stance. "Oh, and by the way, my name's Vyborg."

Goku motioned for Chichi to step back, and then got into his own fighting stance.

"And I'm Goku!" He then screamed as he became surrounded by a golden aura. His hair stood up on end and turned gold. His eyes turned turquoise. It was almost like a whole new fighter had appeared in Goku's place.

"And now that we know each other…"

Goku didn't need to finish that sentence. The two warriors launched themselves at each other; their fists clenched, their muscles tensed and their eyes alight with the fire of battle.


	4. 4

Thanks to everyone for your positive reviews.

Brutal2003: What's his angle? Good question! You'll have to keep reading to find out.

Chapter 4

Vegeta and the other fighters stood in what was left of Bulma's backyard, facing the four aliens.

"There's not really any point in asking why you've chosen to attack us." Said Vegeta. "Since it won't make any difference, once we've destroyed you!" And with that, he transformed into a super saiyan and took off into the air. Lance, being one of the attackers, decided to accept his challenge and the two of them started exchanging blows in the sky.

18 was staring down an overweight warrior with purple skin and four legs, as well as a pair of arms. She raised her fists at her sides and narrowed her eyes.

"Cyborgs. That's how you were able to take us by surprise."

The fighter, who was named Quiver, smiled.

"We prefer the term 'artificially enhanced'. Anyway, you're one to talk. I'm not sensing any energy from you either."

The corners of 18's mouth rose slightly.

"Well, since we can't sense each other's power, I guess there's only one way to find out which one of us is stronger."

The two of them wasted no more time on talk. They disappeared from sight and the sounds of their fighting began ringing throughout the garden.

Krillin was squaring off against the white-skinned alien, Mingen. He held his hand out in front of him and shot off an energy wave. Mingen easily batted it away, but that was just a distraction. Putting on a burst of speed, Krillin appeared above Mingen's head and hammered him down towards the ground. Mingen managed to right himself on the way down and landed on his feet.

He looked up at Krillin and then reached for the case strapped to his back. Pulling it loose, he threw it up into the air. The case opened and out of it flew several thin sheets of glass. They all started flying around Krillin, except for one that levitated near Mingen. With a grin, Mingen stepped _into_ the glass sheet and vanished.

"What the!" Krillin immediately got punched in the back of the head. He turned around to see Mingen grinning at him from one of the mirrors surrounding him. He fired an energy wave at him, but Mingen just moved to the side, disappearing from Krillin's view again. He then felt a kick to his back. Mingen was now in the mirror behind him.

"Forget this!" said Krillin. He dropped down to the ground so that he was no longer surrounded by the mirrors. Cupping his hands together and placing them by his right side, he started focusing energy between his palms. "Kaaa…Meee…"

Mingen stepped out of the mirror he was in and raised his arms above his head. Purple energy began to form in his hands.

"Ha..Me..Ha!" Krillin thrust his hands forward and the mighty kamehameha wave burst from his palms, rocketing through the sky towards his opponent.

Suddenly, Mingen's eyes turned white and all the mirrors lined up in front of him. He then brought his arms down and the beam of energy, he'd been forming raced through the mirrors. Each one amplified its' power so by the time it left the last one, the beam was burning a bright red!

It hit Krillin's kamehameha and smashed through it, like water bursting through a dam. Before Krillin even realized what was happening, the beam hit him and his senses were overloaded by burning pain.

While this was going on, Trunks was duking it out with Dolt. The purple-haired boy clearly held the advantage in the fight. Dolt kept striking out at Trunks, but thanks to his smaller size, and greater speed, the little warrior was easily dodging all of his attacks. Dolt was starting to lose his temper. He reached out to try and grab Trunks but ended up getting head-butted in the face. He reared back with his hands over his nose and immediately received a fist to the stomach. As he curled up, Trunks clasped his hands together and smashed him in the back of the head. Dolt hit the ground, head first, and wound up buried in the dirt. It was similar to how he'd ended up against Videl, except that he was now upside down.

'Oh… Why me?' He thought mournfully. But then he felt a hand grab his ankle and pull him free of the earth. Trunks was having fun with this guy. He wasn't ready to stop just yet.

18 and Quiver broke apart and landed on the ground. Quiver spat a tooth out of his mouth and grinned at 18.

"You pack a pretty good punch."

18 wiped some blood away from her own mouth, but her face remained impassive.

"Wish I could say the same for you."

Suddenly a crash sounded out behind her and 18 turned to see Krillin lying in a small crater with smoke coming off of him. Mingen stood in the air, grinning. His mirrors were placing themselves back in his case, which closed up on its' own.

"Oh, no! Krillin!" 18 instantly forgot about Quiver and jumped down into the crater. She knelt beside Krillin. He was unconscious. Most of his shirt had been torn away by Mingen's beam and there were burn marks all over his body. He was still alive though.

'Well, what d'ya know? Looks like the ice queen's got a soft spot after all.' Quiver thought to himself. 'Now's my chance, while she's distracted.'

He got into a 'power-up' position and started concentrating. The outlines of his body started turning white.

Meanwhile, 18's sharp hearing picked up Mingen's sniggering as he gazed proudly at what he had done. She stood up and glared at him with murder in her eyes. Without a word, she took off into the air, heading straight for the white-skinned warrior.

"Hold it!" Quiver suddenly appeared in front of her. "You can't switch opponents in the middle of a match. These are supposed to be one on ones."

Tired of their callous attitude, 18 threw a punch at Quiver and her fist went right through his head! (Not through as in blood and brains everywhere, through as if his head wasn't even there.)

"What? An illusion?"

With 18's arm still through his head, Quiver grinned and punched her in the stomach, hard. He floated back a bit.

"I probably should've mentioned this earlier. I can separate and condense my body's own molecules." He punched her again, in the face. 18 tried to strike back with a kick, but her foot just went through his body. "This, of course, means I can hit you, but you can't hit me."

He then kicked 18 with all four of his legs and hammered her down to the ground.

Dolt was barely able to keep himself in the air. He was tired out, his body had taken a beating and that little brat hadn't even broken a sweat!

Trunks was hovering in the air a little way away from Dolt. He had a confident smirk on his face and his arms were crossed. Dolt growled in frustration.

'That cocky little… Let's see how he likes this!"

Dolt pointed his left arm towards Trunks and pressed a button on his wristband. A thick cable shot out and wrapped itself around Trunks.

"What the –? Hey!" Trunks started struggling against the metal coiled around him.

Dolt gave a little laugh and pressed a second button. The cable began retracting back towards him, dragging Trunks along with it. Dolt made his left hand into a fist. He'd knock the scrawny brat's teeth out, without even having to throw a punch.

Trunks saw what was about to happen and screamed as his hair spiked up and turned gold and his blue eyes turned green. With no problem, he broke free of the cable and charged towards the alarmed Dolt, charging ki into his clenched fist.

High above Capsule Corp, Vegeta and Lance were exchanging vicious blows. Vegeta struck Lance in the face, who then lashed back with a kick to the kidneys. Vegeta spun with the blow and delivered a punch to Lance's head. As the alien was sent flying backwards, he fired an energy wave in Vegeta's direction. Vegeta quickly shot off his own blast that hit Lance's wave and caused a small explosion.

Out of the smoke, Lance came speeding towards the prince. Catching Vegeta by surprise, he managed to land a punch to his forehead. Vegeta was able to stop himself before he flew too far back. He could feel a thin trickle of blood running down from the cut on his forehead, but the wound was not serious. And judging by the look of him, Lance was in far worse condition than he was. He was out of breath and his guard wasn't as solid as it had been at the beginning of the fight. All Vegeta needed now was to get in one good ki attack and this one would be over.

Lance couldn't believe he was thinking this, but maybe he'd underestimated these saiyans. Vegeta, although somewhat bruised from his attacks, was showing hardly any signs of fatigue.

'Now _there's_ a warrior!' He thought to himself. 'I feel lousy for doing this, but it's the only way I'm going to beat this guy!'

He unhooked his cape from around his shoulders and, with it in his hand, flew straight towards Vegeta.

The saiyan smirked. It was obvious what was going to happen. Lance was going to throw his cape in Vegeta's face and then attack while Vegeta was blinded. Like he was going to fall for such an amateur trick!

Indeed, Lance did throw his cape at Vegeta. The saiyan prince simply raised his hand and fired off an energy wave. But instead of being blown to shreds, like he'd expected it to be, the cape expanded into a huge black void, which the energy wave disappeared into. Faster than even Vegeta could react, the cape flew towards him and enveloped him. He reached out his hands to push the cape away, but his hands touched nothing. All around him, there was an empty blackness. It was almost like he was floating in space. Scratch that, it was exactly like he was floating in space because Vegeta was suddenly unable to breathe!

Lance watched as Vegeta struggled to free himself from the suffocating cloak. There was no chance of that happening. He didn't just wear that thing to look cool. Back on his home-world of Kyushin, their capes were their main weapons against off-worlders. Thanks to magic known only to their race, once the cape was unhooked, it would attach itself to any non-kyushin life-form. It then created its' own little pocket dimension with no air and no heat. Even the mighty super saiyans needed to breathe.

18 formed a large energy ball above her head and threw it at Quiver. While she couldn't get him with physical attacks, she'd discovered that he was still vulnerable to her energy waves. They were both on the ground and the ball she had just shot at him was too big to dodge in time, or at least she thought. The ball rocketed towards the spot where Quiver stood but, instead of exploding on impact with him, it just kept going and Quiver was nowhere to be seen.

The energy ball crashed into the far garden wall and exploded, tearing a huge chunk out of the wall and the surrounding vegetation.

"Oh, dear. There go the petunias." Said Mrs. Brief. She was watching the fighting from inside the Capsule Corp building with Dr Brief, Bulma and Marron.

"Mother! There are _slightly_ more important things to worry about than your flowerbeds!" Bulma said in a rage. She turned her attention to the fighters.

"Grrr, come on guys! Surely you can fight better than that! Pick up the pace already!"

Dr Brief and Marron looked at Bulma with small sweat drops on the sides of their heads.

18 looked around to try and spot Quiver. She couldn't see him anywhere on the ground, or in the air. Suddenly she was grabbed from behind. All six of Quiver's limbs hooked around her arms and legs. He'd phased into the ground to avoid 18's attack and had come up behind her.

Grinning from ear to ear, he flew up high into the sky and then, positioning himself so that 18 was between him and the ground, just let himself drop. 18, unable to form a defense, was slammed into the ground with Quiver's full weight (nearly a metric ton) on top of her! A huge dust cloud went up and cracks spread out along the ground. As the dust settled, Quiver stood up and looked down at 18's unconscious form.

"Hmmm. These Earthlings are tougher than they look. Most fighters are crushed when I do that move.

Behind him, another figure crashed into the earth. Vegeta, still trapped in Lance's cloak, hit the ground hard and lay there, not moving. Lance touched down near him and removed the cape. Vegeta had passed out, but he was still alive. His hair had returned to normal and his face had gone very pale. Lance rehooked his cape to his shoulders.

'Sorry to have had to do that to you, Vegeta. When next we fight, I'll be sure to defeat you the proper way.'

Quiver and Mingen walked up to Lance.

"Well, that's that." said Quiver, dusting off his hands. "I wonder how Dolt did."

He was then hit in the back by an energy wave that knocked him to the ground!

Dolt was lying on the ground with a broken nose and minus several teeth. Trunks was in a fighting stance and he looked angry.

"I guess that answers my question!" Said Quiver, as he pushed himself back to his feet. The three fighters then began walking calmly towards Trunks.

'Oh, man!' Thought the young saiyan. 'I can't believe these guys beat Krillin, 18 and my dad! Well, they don't scare me! Though I kinda wish Goten was here. The fusion technique would come in handy right about now.'

Lance smiled down at Trunks.

"There now, little warrior. There's no need for that." He said, noting Trunks' fighting stance. "You already won your match. The trial's over."

Trunks looked up at the alien in confusion. But his attention was then drawn to the sky where thunder rolled out and dark clouds began to form overhead.


	5. 5

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed. I've gotten some really imaginative comments. My next update might take a while because I'm leaving town for a week, but never fear! I make it a personal rule, never to leave a story unfinished. So I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can.

Chapter 5 

Only Goku's and Vyborg's torsos and heads were visible as they battled over the countryside. Their fists and feet were indistinguishable blurs as they punched, kicked, blocked and counter-struck. Vyborg swung his mechanized tail at Goku, but the saiyan caught it. Goku then began spinning around, still holding onto Vyborg's tail. He resembled an Olympic hammer thrower. Goku finally let go and sent Vyborg crashing into the ground below.

He instantly dropped to the ground himself and pressed his attack just as Vyborg was getting up. Goku was a skilled ki user, but he'd learned to fight with martial arts long before he'd learned how to use ki. This was not the case with most of his opponents, as he'd learned from his various battles. They usually tended to fight with pure power, but really sloppy techniques. And Vyborg was no different. Fighting on the ground meant he didn't have as much freedom of movement and his attacks were easily being blocked by Goku.

Vyborg threw a punch at Goku's head, but Goku ducked under it and headbutted Vyborg in the face. He then delivered a karate chop to the side of his neck, knocking the wolf-creature to the ground.

"You might as well give up now." Goku said, straightening up. "You're no match for me."

Vyborg growled as he stared at Goku with pure hatred in his eyes.

"Says you!" He screamed as he threw himself at the saiyan.

Goku mentally sighed as he continued to effortlessly block and dodge all of Vyborg's attacks. Sometimes he wondered why he bothered to give his opponents the chance to walk away. They never took it.

'Force of habit, I guess.' He thought as he punched Vyborg in the stomach.

(Scene change)

Hercule Satan checked himself one last time in the mirror. His beard was neatly trimmed and his hair was as thick as ever. Ha! For most people, this was the age that the hairline began to recede, but not for Earth's champ!

"Hercule! Buu want to go! Buu hungry!" The sound of his pink-skinned companion's voice came from just outside the mansion, accompanied by the impatient barks of their dog Bee.

"Alright, alright. But just be sure to watch where you're flying this ti!" Hercule froze as he stepped outside the mansion and saw what was standing behind Buu and Bee.

Judging by the armor and the size of the guy's muscles, Hercule guessed this stranger wasn't a salesman. And, due to the blue skin and spiky tail he also guessed this fellow wasn't from Earth.

Umgero stood with his legs wide apart and pointed a finger dramatically at Buu.

"You! We shall do battle!"

Buu stared at the newcomer with innocent confusion. He then turned to Hercule.

"Hercule, are we in tournament?"

"No, Buu! This guy wants to fight for real!" Hercule screamed at his friend. He then saw the fighter running towards Buu, with a fist arched back. "Buu, look out!" He yelled.

Buu turned, just in time to get a fist to the face! He stumbled back and was then sent skyward by a hook to the jaw. Hercule watched in horror as Buu sailed upwards, only to have Umgero appear above him and hammer him down again. Hercule grabbed Bee and managed to get out of the way, just before Buu hit the ground like an anvil.

He got to a safe distance and stared in disbelief as the alien warrior started using Buu as a punching bag. All of his blows left dents and marks all over Buu's body. Bee was barking his head off and Hercule had to hold onto his collar to keep him from charging at Buu's attacker.

Umgero delivered another punch to Buu, knocking him onto his back. He then stood in another dramatic stance, with his hands on his hips, and laughed.

"This is even easier than I thought! Once I've beaten you, I'll have proved that I'm worthy of the power."

He then kicked Buu and sent him skidding along the ground. He came to rest near Hercule's feet.

"Buu! What are you doing?" Hercule shrieked. "Why aren't you fighting back?"

Buu lifted his misshapen head off the ground and blew out his cheeks. All the dents left by Umgero's blows disappeared and Buu's body returned to normal. He looked up at Hercule.

"Hercule say that Buu shouldn't fight, except in tournament."

Hercule turned at the sound of Umgero's battle cry. He was running towards them, charging ki into his hand!

"Well you can now! I give you my permission just this once!"

"Oh. Okay."

Buu stood up, just as Umgero launched himself at him. He simply held his fist out and the alien's face smashed into it. Umgero flew back about fifty metres and landed flat on his back. His eyes were crossed and his tongue was hanging out the side of his mouth.

Buu and Hercule walked over to the unconscious fighter.

"Why blue man want to fight Buu?" The pink being asked Hercule.

"I don't know but, knowing our luck, he's probably got friends. Let's get over to Capsule Corp quick and tell Gohan and the others about this."

Suddenly, thunder sounded out overhead and Buu was struck by a bright blue beam of light.

"Buu!" Hercule had to shield his eyes from the blinding light. Bee began barking again.

Buu's whole body was wobbling. His upper torso began to stretch, and stretch. Soon a very tall, very thin Buu was occupying the beam. Sparks began to fly from the funnel of light and, just as sudden as it had appeared, it vanished and Buu's body returned to normal with a sound like a rubber band being snapped.

"Buu, are you alright?" Hercule asked, while checking him over with his eyes. Buu scratched his head in confusion over what just happened but, before he could answer Hercule, a second beam shot down and Umgero disappeared.

Hercule and Buu stared at the spot where Umgero had been for a moment, and then Hercule said,

"Let's get going now, before any more appear."

(Scene change)

Goku's fist impacted with Vyborg's jaw and knocked him off his feet for, what must've been, the hundredth time. A part of him actually felt sorry for the alien. He didn't like to see anyone suffer needlessly, no matter who they were.

"I really don't have any more time to waste on this." He said to the fallen fighter. "I need to search for my sons. So I'm giving you one last chance to leave."

Vyborg wiped his bleeding mouth and suddenly sped up into the air above Goku. He crossed his hands, fingers spread, in front of his chest and began focusing energy into his palms.

"There's no need for you to worry about your sons! My master will take good care of them!" He then flung his hands out straight. "BYRON BEAM!"

A purple beam of energy, sparkling with power, tore through the air towards Goku. The super saiyan shook his head sadly.

"What a shame." He said. He then cupped his hands by his right side. "Kame-Hame-HA!" His own attack flew up to meet Vyborg's. At first, the two beams pushed against each other in an even standoff. But all too soon, Goku's kamehameha started pushing Vyborg's byron beam back

Vyborg's face went from a look of strained effort to surprise to terror as he was suddenly engulfed by the bright blue light. Goku watched his kamehameha disappear into the sky, carrying the remnants of Vyborg with it. His hair and eyes returned to normal as he turned around and walked back to where Chichi had been watching.

"Goku!" She flung her arms around her husband, relieved that he was alright. Then she saw the serious look in his eyes. "What is it?" She asked.

"That alien was sent by someone Chichi. And whoever it is has Gohan and Goten."

Chichi felt her heart jump into her throat. Some monster had her sons?

Goku saw Chichi's eyes start to fill with tears and he put his arms around her.

"Don't worry Chichi." He said firmly. "I'll get them back. I promise."

Just then, Goku's senses alerted him to a strange power, and it was right above him! He looked up to see a beam of blue light cut through the sky and drop down towards him! His first reflex was to push Chichi out of harm's way. He didn't have time for a second as his limbs suddenly became frozen in place and his whole body screamed in anguish.


	6. 6

Sorry for the wait, here's the reward for your patience. And, once again, thanks for all your reviews.

Chapter 6 

Dende's antennae rose suddenly and the young namek ran to the edge of the sacred lookout.

'Another one?' He reached out with his senses to find out who it was, this time. His eyes widened in disbelief. "Goku!" Even the mightiest warrior on Earth had fallen to this strange new threat. But what was it?

A few hours ago, Dende had sensed a strange source of power hit the Earth. It had only stayed for a few seconds, and then disappeared. Deciding it was best not to take chances, Dende had done a mental sweep of the area. Since it was near East Satan City University, he'd thought it might've been Gohan, although he considered it strange that Gohan would risk raising his power level like that near such a public place.

But he sensed Gohan moving away from the university and, upon further probing, he found that he was unable to sense Videl anywhere! He and Piccolo had found it hard to believe that someone could attack Videl and win in only a matter of seconds. She wasn't as powerful as the other fighters, but she certainly wasn't one to be taken without a fight. So the two nameks had mentally scanned the area for any sign of residual ki.

What they found added to the strangeness of the situation. The brief power they'd sensed was fresher than that Videl had used against her supposed attacker. This meant that the anomaly Dende had sensed, took place after Videl's fight.

Piccolo had decided to see the situation for himself, so he'd flown to the university. However, before he got there, Dende had contacted him telepathically, telling him that the same strange energy had just appeared briefly in the countryside, near Goku's house, and he was now unable to sense either Gohan or Goten.

Upon hearing that Gohan had disappeared, Piccolo immediately changed course and headed towards the Son residence. But, on the way there, he got another message from Dende, saying the same thing had happened at Capsule Corp and Trunks had disappeared. Then, not long after _that_, another one occurred at Hercule's home, but nobody had vanished that time.

Just as he was approaching the Son house, Piccolo not only felt, but _saw_ the bright blue beam shoot down from the sky. It stayed for a few seconds and then completely vanished. And, along with it, went Goku's ki signature.

He landed outside the house, where a startled Chichi was on the ground, still staring at the spot where her husband had been standing not a minute earlier. She looked up as Piccolo touched down on the grass. Chichi had always been a little weary of Piccolo, but this time she was actually happy to see him.

"Piccolo!" She got up and ran up to him. "Something terrible has happened!"

"I know." The namek answered. 'Dende,' he reached out with his telepathy. 'Who have we got left?'

'I can still sense Krillin and Vegeta at Capsule Corp, but their energy's low. Of course, I can't tell how 18 is. Buu seems to be fine. He and Hercule are on their way to Capsule Corp now.'

'Alright, I'll meet up with everyone there. Surely someone must have an idea of who's doing this.'

Piccolo was about to take off again, when he felt a sharp tug on his cape.

"Hold it!" Said Chichi sternly. "I know you and Dende can see everything from up on that lookout! Where are Goku and my boys? What's going on?"

"That's what I'm going to find out!" Piccolo replied as he pulled his cape free. "You should stay here. You'll be safer that way."

"Don't be so sure, Greeny!"

A thin beam of energy flew at Piccolo from behind. The namek was able to move in time to avoid it hitting his body, but one of the shoulder pads on his cape got drilled through and caught on fire! Piccolo quickly threw his cape off and turned his attention to his attacker.

The fighter standing before him looked somewhat like Vyborg. He was a wolf-type creature with grey fur and blue eyes. His tail wasn't mechanized but, since he wasn't detecting a life-force, Piccolo immediately guessed what he was.

'Cyborg's. I should've known! That's why we didn't sense them arriving on the planet.'

"Another one?" Chichi remarked.

"What?" Piccolo turned his attention to her.

"Goku defeated a fighter just like him before that strange beam hit him." Chichi answered, pointing at the fur covered warrior.

"Is that so?" Piccolo looked at the wolf-man with a devilish grin on his face. "Then he's probably got the answers that I'm looking for." He reached up, pulled his turban off his head and threw it to the ground.

The wolf creature had also heard what Chichi had said. He gave a little laugh.

"So, it was Son Goku that defeated my worthless brother! Oh, well. It was bound to happen sooner or later!" His eyes focused on Piccolo. "Rest assured. I won't be nearly as easy."

Piccolo levitated just off the ground, then sped towards his opponent. The alien made a similar charge. But just before the two of them collided, they vanished, only to reappear in the sky exchanging vicious punches and kicks.

Chichi watched the action from below.

'Would it be too much to ask …' She wondered. '…to have a family reunion that doesn't lead to kidnapping or fights to the death?'

(Scene change)

"What the !" Dende watched the fight from up on the lookout. Mr. Popo came and stood beside him.

"It must've been fighters like him that attacked the others at Capsule Corp." The immortal remarked.

"Yes, but from what I sensed of Goku and the others, before they disappeared, they were all just fine. It seems like only those who beat their opponents are being taken. It's like some kind of twisted tournament. But who – Arrrghh!"

The sacred lookout was situated high up in Earth's atmosphere, far above the layers where clouds formed. This insured that whatever guardian was residing in the structure didn't have to wander around in cloud vapor and accidentally step off the edge whilst looking for the bathroom. Unfortunately, the absence of clouds meant that Dende and Mr. Popo didn't get the same warning that the others had. No clap of thunder, no darkening sky, just a sudden flash followed by painful paralysis.

However, neither the pain nor the paralysis lasted very long. Dende landed hard on his knees and, when he dared open his eyes, he found himself and Mr. Popo in pitch blackness. The floor beneath him felt solid enough, so he assumed they were in some sort of room.

Sure enough, just ahead off them came the mechanized sound of a metal door sliding upwards. As this happened, lights came on in the room, and Dende and Mr. Popo stood up to face the figure that walked through the door.

Dende couldn't help but gasp and Mr. Popo stuttered out,

"Y-you're a, a…"

"'Namek', I believe is the term you're looking for." Snail said with a smile. He gave a small bow to the confused pair. "Please, let me be the first to welcome you aboard my ship, the _Revival_." He then motioned towards the open door. "Now if you would be so kind, follow me."

Dende and Mr. Popo didn't really have much choice. It was either that or stay in the room. And besides, how else were they going to get any answers? They followed their 'host' down a brightly lit corridor. Snail walked with his hands behind his back and a relaxed smile on his face.

Finally, Dende spoke up,

"Who are you? You're not one of my brothers."

Snail looked over his shoulder at Dende and his smile broadened.

"Did I forget to introduce myself again? My, I always do this. My apologies. My name is Snail and, yes you are correct, I am not one of Guru's offspring. In fact, I'm not what would be considered a _regular_ namek."

At this point they'd reached a metal door. Snail typed a code into a panel on the wall and the door slid open. Dende's eyes widened at what he saw inside. There were several small platforms set out in a line. Three of those platforms were occupied. Goku, Videl and Trunks were standing upright in individual funnels of blue light. Their eyes were closed and none of them were moving.

Dende ran past Snail, straight up to the platforms with Mr. Popo right behind him.

"Oh my God! What have you done to them?" He cried.

"Now, now, calm yourself my boy. They're not hurt." Snail walked into the room and looked at the three unconscious figures. "I just felt it best to take precautions, considering their … somewhat _volatile_ nature."

Dende's teeth were clenched. He turned in anger to the older namek.

"Just who the hell _are_ you?"

Snail didn't seem at all phased by Dende's show of anger. He just gave a little shrug.

"I suppose it's best that I start at the beginning. You see, some time ago, before you'd even met your Earth friends, my father came to this planet. His name was Slug, although he preferred to be addressed as Lord Slug. He made his way in the universe by - How shall I put this? – commandeering planets. He'd use the forces he'd gathered to take control of a planet and steer it through space, rather like you would a spaceship. From each world, he'd take new troops and any useful technology he could find. But, of course, taking a planet out of its' natural orbit and flying it through the cold of space does tend to have a negative effect on the ecosystem, and it wouldn't take long before the planet became inhospitable. When that happened, he simply had the planet destroyed and moved his ship to a new one.

Now it just so happened, that on one of the planets he captured, there existed these amazing things called ameron crystals. They had a profound affect on people, concerning their control of ki. I convinced my father to leave that planet in its' orbit and take over a neighboring one. Never one for patience, my father continued his voyaging while I remained behind and conducted research on the crystals.

Now would you believe it, the very next planet he chose for "colonization" was your own dear Earth. I witnessed everything that happened on the planet through the video connection to his ship. I saw him use the dragon balls to make himself young again. I saw him do battle against Earth's warriors. And I saw his destruction at the hands of Son Goku."

"So that's it?" Said Dende. "You came to get revenge on Goku?"

Snail gave a little chuckle.

"Now that would fit the 'avenging son' cliché, would it not?" He turned and looked at Goku. "But you have me all wrong. Yes, I was saddened by my father's death. But I bear no ill will to Goku. After all, my father _was_ invading the planet. If somebody came into my home and started claiming it as theirs, I'd take action too."

He turned around and began walking out of the room.

"Besides," he said. "That would be a waste of such talent."

He stopped by the door and looked at Dende, motioning for him to follow. Dende didn't like the idea of leaving Goku and the others like that. But there wasn't really anything he could do. He didn't see any controls on the platforms. Snail must have those on his wristbands. And if he tried to break them out by force, the sudden shock could kill them!

So he and Mr. Popo reluctantly followed Snail, half wondering what he was going to show them now, and half not wanting to know.

(There you go! I'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as possible. Oh, by the way. Congrats to Marshmellow Dragon for being the first to spot the connection between Slug and Snail. I can't give you a prize or anything, but kudos!)


	7. 7

Thanks again to everyone who's reviewed.

Chapter 7 

Dolt opened his eyes and immediately wished he hadn't. Vegeta, Krillin and 18 were standing around him, glaring down at the battered alien. Buu and Hercule had arrived at Capsule Corp and, thanks to Buu's healing magic, the three fighters were back on their feet.

Before Dolt could even open his mouth, Vegeta's hand closed around his skinny neck and lifted him off the ground!

"Alright! I'm only going to ask this once, so pay attention!" The saiyan prince's eyes bored into Dolt's. "Where's my son?"

'What the hell!' Dolt thought. 'I don't owe Snail anything. He left me behind, _twice_! And besides,' He gulped with some difficulty. 'It's very unhealthy to say no to a saiyan!'

"Okay, okay." He said in a choked voice. "My boss, well _former_ boss Snail, sent us down to fight you guys, to see who gets to join his forces. If your son isn't here, that means he's been chosen – Ack!"

Vegeta's grip tightened.

"Chosen to do what!" He shouted.

(Scene change)

Piccolo and the wolf-creature's fists smashed into each other's faces, sending them both crashing to the ground. They both got back to their feet, slightly out of breath but still very much in the fight.

Piccolo grinned at the alien.

"Y'know, in all the excitement, I forgot to ask your name."

The warrior smirked back at him.

"Well, I guess it's only right that you should know the name of your executioner." His smirk then turned into a snarl as, with ki glowing in both his hands, he sprang into the air. "I'm Arrack!"

Arrack's arms became a blur as he sent a volley of energy balls towards Piccolo. The namek braced himself as the deadly barrage hit the ground around him, sending up a huge cloud of dust. Arrack watched the dust-cloud eagerly, only to see Piccolo come flying out of it, towards him.

"Is that the best you've got?" Piccolo yelled as he threw a punch that connected with Arrack's head. Arrack went flying back, but didn't get far before receiving another punch in the stomach. Piccolo then spun around and landed a kick to the side of Arrack's head, sending him to the ground once more.

It took longer for Arrack to get up this time and when he did, he saw Piccolo standing a few feet away from him with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face.

"Take all the time you need." The Namekien said. "I'd hate for you to strain yourself."

Arrack howled in anger. He ran at Piccolo and threw a punch with his right fist. Piccolo grabbed it in his left hand and held on tightly. Arrack then tried his other fist but Piccolo caught it in his free hand. Piccolo gripped Arrack's fists so hard that his talons penetrated the alien's tough skin. Arrack howled again, but this time in pain. He suddenly stopped when he heard a voice far off to his left shouting,

"Special Beam Cannon….."

Arrack turned his head to see a _second_ Piccolo! He was charging ki into his index and middle fingers and was standing in the spot where he had bombarded Piccolo with the hailstorm of energy balls. Arrack's eyes went from one grinning Piccolo to the other and he realized what had happened. Piccolo had used the dust kicked up by the energy ball flurry to conceal himself while he used the multiform technique to split into two beings. He'd then only attacked with one of them so that Arrack would be distracted and not notice the other one. Now, with one Piccolo holding him firmly in one spot and another about to launch his killing move, Arrack knew he was in trouble.

"I'm gonna give you one chance to get out of this, mutt!" The Piccolo that was holding him said. "Where are Goku and the others?"

Arrack looked Piccolo right in the eye as he answered.

"You should never assume you've won, until the final blow has been delivered."

His eyes then began to glow red! Piccolo felt the energy gathering behind Arrack's eyeballs and ducked just as the twin lasers flew from his pupils. They shot over Piccolo's head and disintegrated a tree behind him. Unfortunately, Piccolo's face was now in perfect position for Arrack to make hard contact with his knee.

Feeling the Namekien's grip loosen, Arrack pulled his hands free, clasped them together and hammered Piccolo in the side of the head, sending him flying into his counterpart. The beam cannon shot out of his fingertips and blew the top off of a mountain in the distance.

The two Piccolos merged back into one and stood up. He wiped some blood away from his nose.

'I should've seen something like that coming.' He thought to himself.

"Hey, Greeny!" Arrack called over to him. "If I were you, I'd stop wasting time asking questions! If you really wanna find out where your friends are, then beat me! Do that and I guarantee you'll see them again!"

Piccolo didn't know what Arrack meant by that but, truth be told, he _was_ tired of asking questions.

"Well, then. In that case, I can stop holding back now!"

He stood with his legs apart, knees bent and fists clenched. A low moan came out of his mouth, which gradually began to rise in pitch and volume. A white aura surrounded his body and the ground he was standing on began to shake.

Arrack stumbled back from the force given off by Piccolo. He took his eyes off of him for a second as he steadied himself. But a second was all Piccolo needed.

(Scene change)

Dende and Mr. Popo stared in horror at the construction before them. It was shaped like a dome but had a flat side with the outline of a doorway on it. Looked innocent enough, but the namek and the immortal could sense the tremendous power radiating inside of it. And that wasn't all they could sense.

"Gohan… Goten…" Dende was sure it was their ki he was feeling. But it was so unstable. It would flare to dangerously high levels, and then sink threateningly low. Worse still, his telepathic abilities allowed him to feel their minds. He mentally gasped at the pain and torment he sensed.

Unable to stand it anymore, he spun around to face Snail.

"What's happening to them!" He snarled at the older namek, his fangs bared.

Snail still had that calm smile on his face and his hands folded behind his back.

"They are being affected by the ameron crystals. I was able to tap into the crystals' energy to power this entire ship. They've even fortified the entire hull. This ship is now indestructible, even by your standards. Granted they do have a rather _unpleasant_ effect on life forms, especially during a prolonged exposure."

"But _why_!" Dende screamed. "Why are you doing this to them? I thought you said you didn't hold any grudges over your father's death!"

"I don't." Snail replied calmly. "You misunderstand me. If I wanted to kill Goku or his sons, I could've done it easily while they were still paralyzed by my transporter. I'm used to the effects, so I could've finished off young Gohan and Goten after they arrived here with me. But if I did that, it would be such a waste of talent.

You see, after the two half-saiyans have received the full effect of the crystals, their power will be higher than it has ever been. Unfortunately, the effects on their minds won't be as fruitful. But that's where I come in." Snail pointed to his antennae.

"You're going to control them!" Mr. Popo exclaimed.

"For lack of a better term." Snail gave a small shrug. "Once I've got all of the fighters I've captured under my control, as well as my own forces, I shall finally be ready to start the revival."

"Revival? Of what?" Said Dende.

"Why, the namek race of course!" Replied Snail. "In case you hadn't noticed, there aren't that many of us left. I intend to change that. Using my new super warriors, I will claim new planets for our race, and populate them with my own offspring."

Snail rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I suppose it would be very similar to how Guru repopulated the old planet Namek."

Dende's eyes flashed with anger and Mr. Popo had to grab his arm to keep him from charging at Snail.

"You _dare_ compare yourself to Guru?" He snarled as, still fresh, memories of his sire surfaced in his mind.

"There's one thing I'd like to know." Mr. Popo said to Snail. "If you could capture any of the Z-fighters at anytime, why did you send your men down to battle them?"

Snail looked towards the chamber as he answered.

"The ameron crystals can only enhance a certain number of individuals. I'd always planned to include Earth's warriors in my forces, but there were still my own troops to consider. I told each of them that if they could defeat one of Earth's fighters by themselves, then I would let the ameron crystals boost their power. Of course," Snail grinned. "I failed to mention the effects the crystals would have on their minds. But, I believe the saying goes, what they don't know won't hurt them."

Snail then pressed a button on his wristband and a holographic image appeared. It showed the battle between Piccolo and Arrack. Right now, Arrack was being sent flying through the air like a ping-pong ball by Piccolo's attacks.

"Hmm, it seems that Piccolo will be the next to join us. I'd better go ready the transporter."

He pressed the button again to make the image disappear and then pressed another. A small beeping sounded out and a few seconds later, Lance and Quiver entered the room.

"Ah, men. Could you kindly take young Dende and his associate to the holding chambers? Now don't worry, my boy." Snail said to Dende. "I've no intention of enslaving your mind. You're the key to this planet's dragon balls. I wouldn't want to do anything to jeopardize them."

He turned around and walked out of the room with the small smile still on his face and his hands still behind his back.

Dende felt a hand grip his shoulder. As he and Mr. Popo were led away by Snail's men, he closed his eyes and reached out with his telepathy. He'd never tried contacting someone from outer space before, but he had to try. He couldn't let this lunatic get Piccolo too.

'Come on, Piccolo.' His antennae twitched wildly as he tried to reach the mind of his friend and mentor. 'You've got to hear this. You've got to lose that fight!"


	8. 8

Thanks again for all the reviews. Especially those who keep them up every chapter.

Chapter 8 

Piccolo drove his fist into Arrack's gut, causing the wolf-man to bend over. He then spun around and slammed the back of his fist into his face. Arrack fell onto his back with his hands over his nose, whimpering with pain.

Piccolo decided he'd wasted enough time. He had to get over to Capsule Corp and meet up with the others. He raised his arm, palm facing Arrack, and energy began to gather around his hand.

Suddenly, a faint voice entered his mind.

'Piccolo!'

"Dende?" Piccolo looked up at the sky. He raised his antennae to try and get a clearer message. 'What is it?'

'Piccolo listen, I don't have a lot of time! Mr. Popo and I are on a ship, orbiting Earth. The others are here too. They're being held captive by a guy named Snail. He's the son of Slug.'

Piccolo's eyes widened at this.

'A super namek! Oh this is not good!'

'But Piccolo, you've got to lose this fight!'

"Lose!"

Piccolo was suddenly tackled from behind by Arrack. He grabbed the namek around his waist and slammed him, German suplex style, into the ground. He then flew up, high into the air.

'Piccolo, please trust me! If you win, you'll just wind up here with us. You've g-got to… l…'

Dende's mental voice wavered and then disappeared. Piccolo reached out with his own mind to try and locate it, but it had vanished. He looked up and saw Arrack with his arms crossed over his chest, gathering energy into his flat palms.

"Eat this, Greeny! Byron Beam!"

Piccolo watched the indigo coloured energy beam shoot down towards him. He could've fired his own beam and knocked it back, but instead he stayed on the ground and let it come.

'I hope you're right, Dende.' He thought as Arrack's attack struck. The explosion caused the surrounding mountains to shake and all but the toughest of trees to be uprooted. Arrack remained in the air, waiting for the dust to settle. He kept his guard up, just in case. But when the smoke cleared, he saw Piccolo lying on his back in a crater. His purple fighting uniform was torn and singed and there wasn't a hint of movement from the namek.

Arrack just stared at the prone form for a few seconds and then a small, almost nervous laugh began escaping his throat. It grew into a triumphant and then hysterical set of giggles.

"Ha ha! I did it! Sorry Greeny, but it looks like I'm the one who'll be joining Snail!"

Right on cue, the clouds gathered and the transporter beam took Arrack back up to the _Revival_, leaving what was left of the countryside peaceful once more.

Chichi crawled out from behind the overturned table in her living room. The glass in the front window was completely shattered and lay across the floor. She carefully stepped outside. One look at the front of the house confirmed that it had been a good idea to seek shelter inside. Being the home to three saiyans and a woman whose own physical strength was somewhat above average, the interior of the Son household had been 'renovated' several times to make it more durable.

Chichi turned her attention in the direction the sound of fighting had come from, before everything had gone quiet. She cautiously approached the area, and found Piccolo lying motionless on the ground.

Kneeling beside the namek, Chichi couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Granted, they had never been close, but Piccolo had saved her son's life on several occasions and had been a good friend to her husband. She reached out to check his pulse, and his eyes suddenly snapped open. Despite herself, Chichi gave a small shriek and fell back onto the ground.

Piccolo got to his feet with a groan and rubbed his head.

"Man, that smarts." He said to himself. "I must be getting old." He then seemed to notice Chichi. She stood up, dusted herself off and cleared her throat politely.

"Ahem, Piccolo, I'm glad to see you're alright. And if you're done with your "duel", would you be so kind as to explain JUST WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

Piccolo nearly hit the ground again at Chichi's outburst. But he managed to collect himself and answer Chichi in a steady voice.

"Goku, Gohan and Goten are alive. They're being held prisoner on a spaceship, by a super namek, along with Dende, Mr. Popo, Videl and Trunks. I'm going to Capsule Corp now, to meet up with the others and hopefully launch a rescue." And with that, he took off into the air and jetted away, leaving Chichi with eyes wide and mouth agape.

After a moment, she stopped looking at the spot on the horizon, where Piccolo had disappeared and turned to face her house. The front door chose this moment to fall off its' hinges and break apart as it hit the ground. Chichi's shoulders slumped.

'I suppose I'd better get the broom.'

(Scene Change)

"Well, here it is!" Bulma looked up proudly at the Capsule Corp Interstellar Transportation Model 3. All the others were gathered around her. Vegeta was still holding a miserable Dolt by the back of his armor.

"Have you always had a spaceship in your garage?" Krillin asked.

"If there's one thing knowing you guys has taught me, it's to be prepared for anything." Bulma replied. "Now, if what our friend here has told us is true, once we get close enough to this Snail's ship, I should be able to send a signal from the ship that will disable the force-field around its' docking bay. And then we can -"

"Um, excuse me." 18 spoke up. "It sounds to me, that you think you're coming too."

"Well, of course I'm coming!" Bulma whirled around with her hands on her hips. "Who else is going to pilot the spaceship?"

"Er Bulma, this could get dangerous!" Said Krillin. "We're most likely going to have to fight those aliens again. Maybe you could show one of us how to -"

"Oh please! I wouldn't trust any of you to drive a lawnmower, let alone man the controls of something that I spent over a year working on!"

All the fighters narrowed their eyes at this comment. Vegeta stepped forward and spoke sternly,

"Listen Bulma -"

"No Vegeta!" Bulma cut him off. "He's my son too. I'm going and that's that!"

They held each other's gaze for what seemed like an eternity, then Vegeta gave a snort.

"Just don't get yourself killed."

Bulma turned around so that her back was to him and crossed her arms. A small smile was on her face.

'What is it with these Earth women?' Dolt thought to himself. 'Even saiyans are no match for them!'

"Well now that we've got that settled, maybe we can get going!" Everyone looked up to see Piccolo standing on the open roof of the garage. He jumped down and landed among them. He gave Dolt a cold stare which made the alien cringe.

"I take it you don't need me to explain the situation." He said.

"That's right." Said Bulma. "We saw them take Trunks and this guy told us how they got Videl. We tried calling Goku, but there was no answer. So we're assuming he and his family has been taken too."

"Chichi's alright." Said Piccolo. "I think I accidentally hit their fuse box when I batted one of Arrack's energy beams away. But Goku, Gohan and Goten have been taken."

This news had a very demoralizing effect on the group. There was silence for a few moments, until it was suddenly broken.

"Well, what the hell are we waiting for?"

Vegeta started marching up the ramp to the spaceship, dragging Dolt with him.

"If Kakarott's gone and got himself into trouble, then I'll just have to go and get him out of it. After all," He turned to face the group with a smirk on his face. "That's what I do."

Everyone else couldn't help but be heartened by this. After saying goodbye to their friends and loved ones. Bulma, Piccolo, Krillin, 18 and Buu followed Vegeta into the ship.

Soon it was just a dot in the sky and Dr. Brief, Mrs. Brief, Marron, Hercule and Bee watched it disappear.

"Bye Mommy. Bye Daddy." Said Marron.

"Be careful, honey." Said Dr. Brief.

"Good luck, Buu." Said Hercule. "You be sure to bring Videl back."

Suddenly, the sound of a car pulling up caused them all to turn their attention to the front entrance. There, they saw Master Roshi get out of a taxi and wave to them cheerfully.

"Hey gang! Sorry I'm late! Did I miss anything exciting?"


	9. 9

Thanks once more for all your reviews. It's getting near the final showdown, oooh!

Chapter 9 

Arrack came out of his healing chamber, still wearing the same smirk he'd had when he went in. He walked down the corridor, leading to the barracks where Lance, Quiver, Mingen and Umgero were. The fighters were all congratulating themselves on defeating Earth's dreaded Special Forces.

"Eh, they weren't so tough!" Mingen said, as he lounged on a coach.

"Agreed!" Barked Umgero. "The Earthlings are no match for our awesome power!"

"Umgero, the only reason you made it through the trials is because Snail's transporter wouldn't work on that Buu creature!" Quiver remarked.

"I think you're all being too light about this." Lance remarked. "Those Earthlings' power took us all by surprise. We each had to use our trump cards to win."

"Speak for yourself!" Arrack entered the room at that point. "I won my match through sheer skill and cunning. That greeny didn't know who he was up against!"

"Arrack."

The wolf-man froze as Snail's calm voice came from behind him.

"I would appreciate it if you refrained from using the term 'greeny' while on this ship." Snail then turned around so that his back was to his men. "Besides, none of you did as good a job as you thought."

He could hear the sounds of confusion coming from the troops and that small smile appeared on his face again. He did enjoy playing these little guessing games with people.

"Earth's warriors are on their way here now." He said. He then turned his head slightly so that he was looking at Arrack out of the corner of his eye. "And Piccolo is with them."

(Scene Change)

"Yes! It worked!" Bulma saw the force-field around the docking bay disappear on the ship's scanners. She began tapping the controls, steering the ship in for a landing.

"Wow! It's huge!" Said Krillin, as he stared out the window. "How'd a ship that big get into Earth's orbit without being detected?" Just then, some debris flew past his viewpoint. He briefly glimpsed the word NASA on the shapeless mass of metal.

"I guess that answers my question." He said with a sweat drop on his head.

"Now, Bulma." 18 stepped up to the pilot's chair. "Those fighters are obviously going to know we're here, so they'll be along any second. We'll take care of them while you stay on the ship."

"Oh, I don't think so." Bulma stood up as the ship touched down inside the dock. "I'm not staying here alone. And besides, you may need my help to free the others."

"I think we can handle that ourselves." Said Vegeta.

"Oh, really? And how, may I ask? By blowing up whatever contraption Snail's got them in and risk killing them?"

Everyone suddenly seemed very interested in the floor.

"Oh my god! You muscle-heads can't do a thing without me!" Bulma opened the ship's hatch and fell backward with a scream as a thin beam of energy just missed her head! All of Snail's men were standing outside the ship. Arrack, who'd fired the beam, lowered his hand and called out,

"You guys want some more, huh? Some people are just gluttons for punishment! And as for you, Dolt," He pointed at the pink-skinned fighter. "I can't wait to see what Snail's going to do to you for betraying him!"

"He betrayed me!" Dolt screamed back. "I've served him loyally for years!"

"Yes, and in all those years, you've never won a single fight." Answered Lance, with his arms crossed. "Just look at what happened on Earth. You were beaten, first by a human girl, then by a little boy! Face facts, Dolt. Why do you think you're the only one Snail didn't waste time on enhancing? You stink as a fighter!"

Dolt clenched his fists. His hair rose as his power level went up.

"That's it!" He bellowed. "I've had enough! I'm going to show you just what I'm truly capable of!"

He leapt out of the ship, straight at Lance. The dark warrior simply struck out with his arm and batted Dolt away, like a pesky fly. Dolt hit a far wall, face-first and slumped to the ground.

"Oh, who am I kidding?" He said. "I do stink at this!"

Vegeta and the others leapt out of the ship and attacked the alien fighters, each one paired off against the one they'd fought before.

Vegeta immediately went super saiyan 2 and engaged Lance in close combat, not allowing the other fighter to get away from him for even a second. As long as Lance was busy, fending off Vegeta's attacks, he wouldn't be able to unhook that cloak of his.

Piccolo was sent flying backward from a punch to the jaw from Arrack. The wolf-man followed it up with a Byron Beam. Piccolo managed to right himself in the air and block the beam with his hands. He deflected it upwards where it hit the ceiling and exploded. Amazingly, there wasn't even a scratch on the metal. Piccolo didn't have time to wonder about this though, because Arrack immediately charged the namek with a flying kick. Piccolo brought his arms up and blocked the attack. He then struck back and their heated battle continued.

Bulma watched the fighting from inside the ship, or tried to. Everyone was moving so fast, she had trouble seeing who was who. Krillin was being kept on the move by Mingen. Any time he stopped, the pale warrior's mirrors would start to circle him and Mingen could attack him from any angle.

18 and Quiver were locked in a ferocious ki battle. They both kept disappearing and reappearing as they dodged each others' blasts, while each trying to catch the other with their own.

The only one who seemed to be having it easy was Buu. Umgero was throwing all sorts of complicated attacks at him, but he easily blocked every one of them while not moving at all from where he was standing.

Bulma watched the action, all the while waiting for an opening to appear. When she saw it, she got out of the ship and ran with her hands over her head. The fierce sounds of battle raged all around her.

'Goku, if I'd never met you, just think what I'd have missed!' She thought to herself. She made it to the far end of the hanger, where Dolt was sitting miserably by the wall.

"Hey, you!" She barked at him. "Where would this Snail guy be keeping our friends?"

"Hm? Oh, in the holding chambers." He answered while looking at the floor.

"And where would those be?" Bulma was talking through clenched teeth.

"Under the bridge." Dolt still didn't look up.

Now everyone who knew Bulma knew better than to try her notoriously short temper. Unfortunately, Dolt did not have that experience.

"Listen Buster!" Bulma grabbed Dolt by the front of his armor and started shaking him back and forth. "If you don't show me where my friends are, I'm going to hit you so hard your children will be born bruised! Got it?"

"I-I-I g-g-g-got i-i-i-it!" Dolt managed to answer while still being shook like a maraca.

"Good! Now, get moving!" Bulma pulled him to his feet and gave him a shove in the back. Dolt took off at a run towards the hangar exit, not daring to slow down, for fear of what was right behind him.

Soon he was punching in the code to the holding cell. The door slid open and Bulma walked past him to the platforms, upon which stood Goku, Videl, Trunks, Dende and Mr. Popo, all frozen in stasis.

"Here they are, but I don't see how you're going to get them out." Said Dolt. "Snail's the only one with the controls for the energy fields."

Bulma reached into her pocket and took out a small remote with a miniature satellite dish on the front.

"There is no technology on Earth or anywhere else that I can't figure out!" She boasted, proudly. She started to fiddle with the knob on the remote. "Let's see. It shouldn't work too differently from the force-field around the ship. Just gotta find the right frequency and – Voila!"

The blue beams of light disappeared and all five prisoners fell to the floor. Bulma immediately ran to Trunks. As she lifted his head, his eyes flickered open.

"Uhhh… Mom? What's going on?"

Bulma could hear the others groaning as the paralysis wore off. Videl rubbed her head and looked around.

"What happened? Where are -?" Suddenly she spotted Dolt. "You?"

Trunks sat up and pointed at Dolt.

"Hey! That's one of the creeps that attacked us!"

"No, it's okay." Said Bulma as everyone stood up. "He's not a danger anymore. In fact, come to think of it, he never was."

Dolt slumped at this comment.

"So, has he switched sides?" Asked Trunks.

"Your father made him." Replied Bulma.

"I can sense Vegeta, Krillin, Piccolo and Buu." Said Goku. "And it feels like their battling more of those cyborgs." He put his index and middle fingers on his forehead.

"Wait. What about Gohan and Goten?" Said Mr. Popo.

"Oh yeah!" Said Dende. "Snail's got them trapped in this chamber and he's using these crystals to enslave their minds!"

"Alright. You guys rescue Gohan and Goten. I'll help Vegeta and the others and we'll all meet up with you." Goku disappeared and Dende headed for the door.

"Come on guys. I can show you the way." He ran out of the room, followed by Mr. Popo, Trunks and Videl.

"Let's go, Dolt." Said Bulma.

"Y'know, I really don't think you need me for this –"

"I said, let's go!" Bulma grabbed Dolt by the back of his armor and dragged the hapless alien along after her.


	10. 10

The tension is building. The finale is drawing near. Hang on to your seats. It's going to be a bumpy ride! P.S. Thanks again for all your reviews.

Chapter 10 

While Bulma was forcing Dolt to show her the way to the holding chambers, five separate battles were going on at once.

Piccolo and Arrack had both forgotten about fighting technically. They were going at it, tooth and claw! Arrack slashed at Piccolo, leaving three deep claw marks across his face. Piccolo grabbed his hand, before he could pull it back. Arrack went to punch him but Piccolo caught his fist in his other hand. Not giving him a chance to use his eye lasers, Piccolo pulled Arrack in close to him and sank his fangs into the wolf-man's upper arm. Arrack howled in pain, but wasted no time in striking back. He slammed his knee into Piccolo's gut and wrenched his arm free of his mouth (loosing a good bit of flesh while doing so).

He sped behind Piccolo and trapped his head in a hold. He tightened his grip on the namek's neck and began twisting.

Piccolo could feel his neck begin to bend at a dangerous angle. He could also hear Arrack laughing in his ear.

"Any last words, Greeny? Or do you want me to call you Piccolo?"

Piccolo gritted his teeth, his face contorted in pain. He answered in a choked voice.

"My friends call me Piccolo. But to you…"

His arm suddenly stretched up above his head. He reached over his back and grabbed hold of Arrack's armor. Bending forward, he flung the surprised alien to the ground while still keeping hold of his armor.

Arrack lifted his head to see an evil grin spread across Piccolo's face.

"To you, I am the Demon King." He turned and used his extended arm to throw Arrack up towards the high ceiling. His arm returned to its' normal length and he opened his mouth, letting a wide beam of energy shoot from it. The beam hit Arrack dead on and reduced the evil warrior to dust and a few singed hairs.

While this had been going on, Umgero had pulled out all the stops in his attempt to beat down Buu. So far, it was to no avail. He now stood, bruised and bloody, with his arms hanging by his sides. Buu was still standing in the same spot he'd been in from the beginning, his fists up and a playful smile on his face.

"I see… you are… somewhat skilled." Umgero said while breathing heavily. "It seems I… shall have to… take drastic measures."

He stood with his legs apart, elbows by his sides and fists clenched tightly. He closed his eyes and spoke quietly,

"I call upon the power of my ancestors. I make your strength my own, so that I may crush all before me!" His eyes snapped open. His pupils had narrowed to slits. Shockwaves started coming off of his body, which was convulsing violently. His muscles bulged, his teeth elongated into fangs, huge wings sprouted from his back and he seemed to double in size.

Buu watched the transformation, the power radiating off of Umgero blowing his cape back. Suddenly he heard a sound which received all of his attention. It was his stomach growling.

"Oh, Buu hungry." He looked around for any available food source but could find none. Finally he gave a little shrug and pointed his head tentacle at the towering Umgero. A pink beam shot out of it and hit the monster. He wobbled for a moment, and then disappeared in a puff of smoke. When the smoke cleared, sitting on the floor was a super-sized bowl of noodles! Buu waddled up to the bowl and picked it up.

"Yum! Prefer chocolate, but Buu trying to cut down." He made some chopsticks magically appear in his hand and dug in.

18 and Quiver flew on parallel flight paths, shooting energy balls at each other. 18 was having an easier time dodging the balls than Quiver, due to her smaller size. Quiver had several burn marks on his body and armor, and was starting to lose his temper.

He placed his hands together, above his head, and fired a huge energy wave at 18. She had to drop to the floor to avoid it. She looked up and saw that Quiver had disappeared. She quickly looked behind her and jumped back, out of his reach, as he came out of the floor and tried to grab her. As she went back, she fired off an energy wave that hit Quiver in the face! He stumbled back with his hands over the burnt area.

18 landed a safe distance away and couldn't help but smirk at the glare Quiver gave her as he took his hands away from his burnt face.

"Maybe that will teach you to keep your hands to yourself." She said with her arms crossed.

Quiver just grunted and fired an energy wave at her. 18 dodged to the right to avoid it, then to the left as a second one came at her. The third came faster and was in her face before she could move!

Quiver laughed at the resulting explosion.

"And maybe that'll teach you to -"

He stopped as 18 came running out of the blast with her arms crossed in front of her. She came right at him with her fist drawn back and punched him in the stomach. Of course, her fist just passed harmlessly through his skin.

Quiver gave another laugh as he raised his own fist.

"Don't you ever learn?"

He was about to strike when he saw the look in her eyes. They were lazily half-closed and had a coldness behind them that seemed to freeze Quiver on the spot. He then realized that 18 hadn't removed her fist from inside his body.

"As a matter of fact," The android said with a slight grin. "I do."

18 opened her fist and bolts of electricity shot from her palm. They easily traveled through Quiver's separated particles and the alien was cooked to a crisp within seconds.

18's expression didn't change as she withdrew her hand from the burnt husk which collapsed to the floor and crumbled into dust at her feet. She just calmly blew the ashes off of her palm and let them drift onto the top of the mound.

Krillin hit the floor and rolled into a kneeling position. He'd taken quite a few hits from Mingen and looked pretty beat up. He just hoped that his acting had been good enough so that Mingen wouldn't realize he'd taken the hits on purpose.

Mingen watched the short human climb painfully to his feet. He looked about ready to finish off. Lining his mirrors up in front of him, he raised his hands above his head and began gathering ki into them. Krillin looked up and grinned.

"Just what I was hoping for."

A white aura surrounded his body as he sped up towards Mingen. The pale fighter wondered what, in the universe, that human was trying to accomplish by charging at him. He gave a little shrug and was about to fire his energy wave, when Krillin pulled up short, right in front of his lined-up mirrors.

He brought his hands up to either side of his forehead, palms in, fingers spread.

"Solar Flare!"

Pure light shot out of Krillin's body, straight through the mirrors and straight into Mingen's eyes! Traveling through the mirrors amplified the light so much that the alien's retinas were fried upon contact.

Mingen dropped the energy he'd been holding and clamped his hands over his burnt eyes, shrieking in pain. His mirrors stayed frozen in place, perfect for Krillin to launch his final attack.

"Kamehameha!"

The beam blazed through the mirrors, increasing in power as it went. By the time it reached Mingen, he didn't have a chance. The wave vaporized him and then exploded against the hangar ceiling, amazingly not leaving a scratch.

Vegeta's fist smashed into Lance's face, causing the fighter to cough up a gob of blood and teeth. Before he even had time to clear his head, he received a knee to the gut. Vegeta grabbed a handful of his hair and lifted the battered alien's face, so that it was level with his.

"By your look of surprise, I'm guessing that you didn't know we saiyans get stronger after every battle."

Suddenly, Lance's hair looped around Vegeta's wrist! Lance flicked his head back, swinging Vegeta into the wall behind him.

"And I'm guessing _you_ didn't know that we Kyushins always have a trick up our sleeve!"

Using his head, he swung Vegeta around and around. Suddenly, the hair around his wrist loosened and Vegeta went crashing to the ground.

Getting to his feet, Vegeta shook his head.

"Defeat first, gloat second! I've got to remember that!" He then looked up, to see Lance reaching over his shoulder for his cloak!

'Oh, great! Now what?' He thought desperately. Just then, a certain ki signature appeared, right next to him. "Kakarrot!"

Goku only had to look at Vegeta's face to know what he wanted. He instantly went super saiyan 2 and pointed both his arms out to his right.

Lance threw his cape at the two saiyans as they started going through a bizarre set of movements.

"Fu…"

The cloak spread out as it neared its' targets.

"Shun…"

The magic material wrapped itself around the pair just as their fingertips were about to meet. From inside the suffocating cloak, there came a muffled,

"Ha!"

Instantly, the cape expanded, like a balloon filled with two much air. Lance watched in disbelief as first one beam of light shot out of the dark cape and then another, and another. Finally, unable to contain the raw power inside of it, the cloak exploded in a blinding flash of light. Lance covered his face from the light. When he looked again, he saw that Goku and Vegeta had disappeared and, in their place, stood a person he had never seen before.

The stranger looked up at Lance with a stern expression on his face. He then vanished and before Lance could even look around, he reappeared with his fist in the alien's gut! Lance staggered back, clutching at his stomach. He painfully raised his head to look at the fighter.

"Who the hell are you?"

The fighter's expression didn't change as he answered.

"I am Gogeta. And I am your end."

For some reason, Gogeta's very voice caused Lance's body to seize up in fear. With a desperate scream, he hurled ki blast after ki blast at him. The echoing explosion caused all the other fighters to look up.

As the smoke cleared, there wasn't a trace of Gogeta. Suddenly, Lance heard his voice right next to him.

"Not bad, but your aim was off."

Gogeta struck out with his arm, backhanding Lance across the face and sending him flying away. He raised his hand, pointing his palm towards the air-born fighter, and fired off a single ball of energy. The moment it touched Lance, it exploded and the shockwave knocked all of the other fighters off their feet. Lance was no more.

Gogeta landed on the floor and was approached by the others.

"Alright, Goku – err, I mean Gogeta! Err, well it's great to have ya back!" Said Krillin.

"It's not over yet." Said Gogeta. "We've still got Slug to take care of."

Just then, everybody stiffened. Their eyes widened and their bodies began to shake involuntarily.

"Do you feel that!" Said Krillin, his voice trembling.

"That feels like -" Piccolo began but was unable to finish.

"Big power!" Buu actually had his eyes open as he spoke.

"Come on! I can sense the others there too! We've got to get there now!" Gogeta held his arm out and everyone placed a hand on it. He put his index and middle finger on his forehead and, a spilt second later, they were all standing in a different room.

The first thing Gogeta saw was Dende, Mr. Popo, Videl, Bulma and Dolt. They all looked terrified and Bulma actually had tears in her eyes. He turned around to face the object of their fear.

Snail was standing before them with that calm smile on his face as always. Gogeta's attention was immediately drawn to what he had in his hand. Hanging by Snail's side, being gripped by the back of his jacket, was Trunks' limp form. Seeing the discomfort in Gogeta's face, Snail grinned and threw the boy towards him. Gogeta caught Trunks in his arms. He was bleeding from a nasty cut on his forehead and his clothes were in tatters. Gogeta could still sense a spark of life in him though. He looked at Snail with eyes that could shatter steel.

"Now don't look at me like that." Said Snail. "I didn't touch the lad."

He then stepped aside and Gogeta nearly dropped Trunks at what he saw.

Gohan and Goten stood outside the open door to the chamber. The shining white ameron crystals could be seen behind them. Their hair stood up as if they were super saiyans, but was coloured white. The same went for their eyes. Their pupils couldn't be seen and their eyes held no emotion, neither did their blank faces.

Snail's fangs showed as he smiled at the speechless Z-fighters.

"Well, these boys have come along very well. I only have one more trial for them." His eyes narrowed evilly and his smile broadened. "A field test."


	11. 11

Well, this is it. The final chapter! Before I get started, I want to personally thank _everyone_ who's taken the time to review my story.

Miroku-has-darkness: "Awesome. Update soon." What can I say? You find a phrase that works for you and you stick with it. Seriously though, thanks for replying to every chapter. Just knowing that you've stayed with the story to the end is a great confidence booster. Merci!

AnimeLuv4evr: Glad you like my style of writing. I do my best to make my stories interesting and fun to read. Gracias!

Sk8erKittie888: One review's better than none. Nice to know you think the story's good. Domo!

LadyKagome84: Your enthusiasm really inspired me to keep going with my chapters and get them posted sooner. I'm afraid I don't know how to say thank you in any other language, but please except a small bow.

Brutal2003: Now there's something I like to see. A reviewer who's not afraid to ask questions. Keeps the writer on their toes. You'd get a hearty handshake, if that was at all possible. Thanks.

Rainbowraindeer: Thanks for your reviews and opinions. I get what you're saying about the story being a little fast. I'm afraid I never really was the patient type. You get a thumbs up and a smile.

DBZ Chick1: "Very good" Well, it was very good of you to review my story. Much appreciated.

Ashler: Good to see my story is still picking up new readers. Happy you've enjoyed it.

And last, but certainly not least, MarshmellowDragon: Your reviews are the most imaginative and funny ones I've ever read. You and that muse of yours should have your own show! Thanks for reviewing every one of my chapters. Big peace sign from me to you!

Okay, enough stalling it's time to hit the final chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 11

Snail stepped to the side so that he wasn't between Gohan and Goten and the other warriors. He cast a proud eye over the evolved saiyans.

"I must say, these two have turned out even better than I imagined they would." He said with a satisfied smirk. He then turned his attention to Earth's fighters. "Once I've evolved the rest of you, I will have control of a truly unstoppable force."

Steam suddenly shot from the small holes on the top of Buu's head. His fists were clenched and face was scrunched up in anger.

"Buu no listen to bad man!" He screamed. "Buu decides what Buu do!"

"That goes double for me" Said 18. One side of her mouth rose in a devilish smile. "I never was good at following orders."

"I can vouch for that." Krillin said with a grin. His face then turned serious as he eyed Snail. "And as for me, I'll never obey scum like you."

"You should've learnt from your father's mistake Snail." Said Piccolo, his face reflecting the same defiant nature of those around him. "The people of Earth are not ones to be pushed around."

He fell into a fighting stance, as did all the others, except for Gogeta.

He handed Trunks over to Bulma, putting his hand on her shoulder as he did so. Bulma looked up into his eyes and could've sworn, for a second that she saw both Goku, her good friend, and Vegeta, the man she loved, looking back at her. She smiled and gave a little nod as she took Trunks.

Gogeta then joined the others and fell into his own fighting stance.

"Don't hold anything back, you guys." He said. "This is as much for Gohan's and Goten's sakes as for ours."

Bulma held Trunks tightly as she watched.

'Do it, guys.' She thought to herself.

Dolt still looked as terrified as ever. Videl and Dende both had their fists clenched and their eyes locked on the fighters. And Mr. Popo had his hands clasped together, as if praying for help from a higher power.

Snail still had the same calm expression on his face as always. His antennae gave a little twitch and Gohan and Goten attacked.

Everyone braced themselves for the attack but, before reaching them, Gohan and Goten vanished. A split-second later, Piccolo cried out in pain. Gohan had karate chopped his leg, breaking the bone. As he crumpled down, Gohan kicked him in the ribs, cracking them and sending Piccolo rolling across the floor.

Before the others could make a move, Goten appeared behind 18 and hammered her in the back of the head. She went crashing, face-first, to the floor and skidded along a few feet before coming to a still stop.

The next scream of pain came from Krillin. Gohan punched him in the stomach so hard he went straight up into the air, only to land face down, hard on the floor.

Steam shooting from his head like a chimney, Buu ran at Gohan and Goten. Goten held both his hands up and a white beam of energy shot out of his palms, completely engulfing Buu. The beam exploded against the far wall and when the smoke cleared, Buu was lying battered and bruised on the floor.

Gogeta gaped at the speed with which the evolved saiyans moved. In about thirty seconds they'd completely pulverized his friends. Now, they turned their attention to him. As they disappeared from view, Gogeta instantly reached out with his senses. He managed to turn around, just in time, to block a kick from Goten. Upon blocking the blow, his arm instantly went numb! He was then knocked off his feet by a punch to the back from Gohan. As he fell forward, he managed to place his hands on the floor and flip himself back to his feet. Gohan came at him with a punch to the face. Gogeta just avoided it and planted his own fist right on Gohan's jaw.

The young saiyan didn't even flinch. As Gogeta stared in disbelief at Gohan's lack of reaction, he didn't notice his other fist moving until it was lodged in his gut. Keeling over, he then received an uppercut that sent him flying upward. Goten was waiting for him and, clasping his hands together, smashed him downwards again. In freefall, Gogeta forced his eyes open, and his entire vision was taken up by the toe of Gohan's boot.

Bulma and the others watched in horror as Gogeta sailed through the air, crashed into the wall and slumped to the floor. He lay still for a few seconds, then his body became covered in a bright light. When the light faded, Goku and Vegeta lay in his place.

Snail crossed his arms and raised an eye ridge critically.

"Well, I suppose he didn't do too badly, considering what he was up against." He then turned his attention to Bulma's group. "But I think it's time you all went back into your chambers. Except, of course, for you Dolt."

The alien cowered under Snail's calm stare.

"Yes. I think I'll deal with you right now." Snail's antennae twitched and Gohan and Goten began walking towards Dolt.

Suddenly, a high pitched sound rung out through the room. The smile on Snail's face disappeared and was replaced by a look of anguish. He put his hands over his ears and dropped to his knees. Gohan and Goten stopped in their tracks and stood motionless.

Dolt opened his eyes and looked around, first at Gohan and Goten, then at Snail, then at the source of the strange sound. It was Videl. She had two fingers in her mouth and was blowing hard.

'Of all the stories Gohan told me about he and his dad fighting off alien invaders,' The girl thought to herself. 'I always found the one about Slug to be the strangest. Who'd believe that someone so powerful could be brought to his knees by something as simple as a whistle?'

Snail was now screaming in agony, but he wasn't the only one. Videl noticed Dende was in pain as well and immediately ceased her whistling.

"No Videl, don't stop!" Dende cried out, sweat pouring down the side of his head. "As long as the pain's distracting him, he can't control Gohan and Goten!"

Videl could see that Dende was right. Gohan and Goten were still just standing there like statues. She didn't like the thought of hurting Dende, but this was their best chance to stop him. She just hoped that one of the fighters would come to soon and take advantage of this.

"Dende!" Despite the stinging in his ears, Dende could hear Piccolo call out to him. Mr. Popo helped him make his way to where the warrior was lying on the floor. Dende fell to his knees near Piccolo and was about to ask him what he wanted, when Piccolo's hands suddenly grabbed the tops of his ears.

"Sorry about this, Dende." Said Piccolo. He then gave the ears a mighty yank, ripping them right off of Dende's head!

Dende screamed and put his hands over his bleeding ear-stubs. Piccolo's telepathic voice came to him in his head.

'Dende, Gohan and Goten's minds aren't gone. I can still sense them, but Snail's put barriers around them. We have to break them down. I'll deal with Gohan. You help Goten.'

Dende then noticed that Piccolo had ripped his own ears off as well. Although his head still throbbed from losing the said appendages, he could no longer hear Videl's whistling and so his mind was clear to focus on his task.

Snail was pounding the floor in pain. Despite the muddle his mind was in, he tried desperately to gather his thoughts. He'd seen his father succumb to the Earthlings' attack on his sensitive ears and had trained himself to be ready for it. Gradually, he began to mentally tune out the excruciating sound.

Opening his eyes, he noticed Piccolo and Dende staring intently at Gohan and Goten. Their antennae pointing straight at them.

'Oh, no you don't!' Pushing himself to his feet, he pointed his own antennae towards his two saiyan captives – only to have them painfully yanked upwards!

"Yaargh!" Snail looked around to see who had done that, but could find no one. His antennae were then given another sharp tug. At this, he became aware of someone sitting on his shoulders. With a growl of frustration, he slammed the back of his head into the wall, causing the wind to be knocked out of his rider and for their camouflage to wear off.

Dolt tightened his grip on Snail's antennae and pulled again. The enraged Snail slammed him into the wall again, and again. Finally, Dolt lost his hold and fell to the floor. Snail grabbed him by the front of his armor and held him up in the air.

"That was a foolish mistake, Dolt." He held his hand out and ki began to form in his palm. He was about to incinerate his former accomplice, when a white beam of energy hit him dead on, causing him to drop Dolt and sending him flying to the other end of the room.

Gohan lowered his hand. His hair was still white, but his eyes had retained their normal black colour. The same went for Goten, who stood beside him. Behind them, Piccolo and Dende sat with smiles on their faces. It had been hard work breaking through Snail's mental barriers, but Dolt's diversion had broken Snail's concentration enough for them to get through.

Gohan looked around at everyone, including the ones lying on the floor unconscious. He shamefully cast his eyes downward.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"Oh, don't be such an idiot!" Said Bulma, as she walked up to him, still carrying Trunks. "We're just glad to have you both back!" She gave Goten a grin as she spoke.

"But, what about -" Goten pointed to the fallen fighters.

"Oh, they'll be fine!" Bulma said. "It's not like this is the first time they've gotten the stuffing knocked out of them! Once Dende's got his strength back, he can heal them up and they'll be good as new! Now let's get going."

A little smile came to Gohan's face and he went to help carry the others. He froze in his tracks as a sudden surge of power knocked everyone off their feet, except for him and Goten.

Snail was up again, and surrounded by a white aura. He had a malicious grin on his face.

"Oh, don't look so surprised." He said. "You think I'd possess the key to unlimited power and not use it on myself? My mental control is formidable enough so that I can have the strength without losing control of my mind. Now, I think it's time you witnessed the power of a _true_ super namek!"

Snail bent his arms at the elbows and white energy started to form and grow in his palms.

Sensing the power that was gathering, Gohan called out to the others.

"Everyone, get back!" He then turned back to face Snail and cupped his hands by his side. "KAME…"

A white ball of energy appeared between his palms.

"HAME…"

"Oh, so that's how you want to play it!" Snail's grin widened. "Alright then, take this!"

He thrust his hands forward and a blinding white beam of energy raced towards Gohan.

"HA!" Gohan threw his own hands forward and a white kamehameha met Snail's beam, dead on.

The two waves of energy pushed violently against each other. For now, they were evenly matched.

"Such… energy…" Gohan gritted his teeth as he concentrated on his beam.

"Yes. You might need to power up some more to beat this." Snail called out tauntingly. He then increased his own energy output, causing his beam to start pushing Gohan's back. Gohan let out a yell as his power level spiked up and the beams became even again. The shock wave caused by his power up sent everyone else skidding across the floor, to the other side of the room.

"Oh, careful!" Snail said. "You know what'll happen to your friends if you increase your energy too much!"

A look of dismay came to Gohan's face. Snail was right. If he didn't watch his power level, everyone would be incinerated by the pure energy he was giving off. But there was nothing forcing Snail to hold back his full power. He could just keep increasing it until either Gohan released his full power, hopefully killing Snail but definitely killing everyone else, or his beam overcame Gohan's, killing him _and_ all of his friends. The situation looked hopeless.

Goten was the only one still able to stand, due to the awesome amount of energy being given off by Gohan and Snail. He wanted to help Gohan, but was worried that if he fired his own kamehameha, the power generated would be more than the others could stand. Goten turned and looked at his friends, especially the unconscious forms of Goku and Trunks. His father and best friend were hurt. And he was the one who'd hurt them.

He turned his eyes back to Snail. He was standing right in front of the open doorway to the ameron chamber. Goten could see the white crystal behind him, pulsating with power.

Goten's fists clenched and his eyes narrowed. Snail had hurt his father and friends, and he and Gohan had been his weapons of choice. Letting out a cry of rage, Goten ran towards the evil namek, right alongside the destructive energy waves Snail and Gohan were releasing. Launching himself into the air, he began spinning until all that could be seen of him was a white spiral of energy.

Snail was so intent on Gohan that he didn't notice Goten coming at him until he heard him scream,

"TORNADO CHARGE!"

Turning his head to the source of the sound, Snail was struck in the midsection by the spinning Goten. The small cyclone of power bore right through his armor, his skin, his muscle, his bone and his spinal cord, coming out of his back and sending the namek flying.

As Snail fell back, a single image flashed through his head. It was one of the images the video connection to his father's ship had shown before going dead. The image was of his father being run through by a charged-up Goku, boring into him like a drill.

'Heh heh, irony.' Snail thought with a small smile on his face. 'You have to love it.'

Goten and Snail both went flying into the ameron chamber, followed by Gohan's kamehameha which he was unable to stop. The result was a deafening explosion which caused the whole ship to shake.

"Goten!" Gohan ran over to the remains of the chamber and began moving aside the broken materials searching for his brother. He found him under a particularly large slab. He was badly cut up, but still alive. The cyclone he'd created around himself had protected him from the worst of the explosion. Gohan noticed his hair was black again. He must've used up all the power the ameron crystals had given him. Gohan's own hair was still white.

He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Videl approaching.

"Is he alright?" She asked, looking down at Goten.

"Don't worry. He'll be fine." Gohan picked him up and started walking back to the others. "Who's still conscious?" He asked half jokingly.

"What?" Asked Dende. He'd never had to regenerate a part of his body before, so he hadn't yet regrown his ears.

"We're all fine." Said Bulma. "Now, how are we gonna get everyone back to the ship?"

"I can take care of that." Said Mr. Popo. He reached into his pocket and took out a small rolled-up ball of red material. He threw it to the ground, at the same time calling out,

"Magic Carpet!"

The ball unrolled into a wide rectangle, hovering a few feet above the floor. All the unconscious fighters were placed upon it, with Piccolo sitting on the end. Gohan carried Buu on his back because there wasn't enough room for him on the carpet.

They got back to the Capsule ship, when suddenly the _Revival _began shuddering violently! The sounds of small explosions could be heard.

"Now what?" Said Piccolo, whose ears had just grown back.

"Oh, no! The ameron crystals are rupturing!" Said Dolt. "When you destroyed the ones in the chamber, you set off all the others they were connected to, around the ship!"

"How many others?" Bulma asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Um, about a million, I think."

"A million!" Everyone echoed.

"I think." Dolt repeated.

"We better get out of here, then!" Said Videl.

"No, wait!" Said Gohan. "Dolt, which way is the bridge?"

"What? Why do want to -?"

"Which way?" Gohan asked more sternly.

"Through that door, down the corridor and up the shaft to your left." Dolt pointed the way. Gohan immediately took off at a run.

"Gohan, what are you doing!" Videl called after him, but he was gone.

Following Dolt's directions, Gohan came to the bridge. In front of him was a screen showing Earth below them. Gohan prayed that it was just his imagination telling him that the planet in the screen was getting bigger. He started tapping at the controls, most of it being guesswork due to the alien language, but soon he found what he was looking for.

"Gohan, what's going on?" Videl appeared in the doorway.

"Videl, get back to the ship and tell Bulma to take off." Gohan answered. "Tell her to get as far away from this ship as she can."

"What about you? What are you going to do?" Videl asked.

Gohan pointed to the screens on the control board he'd been looking at.

"This ship's falling out of its' orbit. It's going to crash into the Earth, and not all of the ameron crystals will have been destroyed by the time it gets there. By my calculations, the resulting explosion from the other crystals will destroy everything within a 500-mile radius of where it lands."

"Oh my god! Are you sure?"

"It's physics. I'm always sure." Gohan replied. "Our attacks have done almost no damage to the ships' interior, so there's only one chance for me to destroy it before it hits Earth. But I need you and everyone else as far away as possible."

"Gohan, what are you going to do?" Videl asked firmly. But when she looked into Gohan's eyes, she already knew the answer. "Gohan, no! That's suicide! You're not even sure it will work!"

"Videl, I have to try. Even if the ship lands in the ocean, the explosion will cause huge tidal waves. And what if it lands near a city? Like West Satan City. Think of the people there. Think about your father."

Gohan hated seeing the pain in Videl's eyes. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, not sure what else to say. Suddenly Videl reached up, grabbed his head and pulled him down into a kiss!

"Hmmm?" Gohan's eyes widened and his arms flailed briefly. Videl pulled away from him and looked him in the eye.

"You're coming back." It wasn't a request. "One way or another, Son Gohan, you're coming back."

Gohan was still dumbfounded, so was only able to answer weakly,

"Okay."

Bulma sat at the ships' controls, drumming her fingers impatiently. All the others were strapped in to their seats. Dolt was looking out through one of the ships' windows.

"Hey, here comes Videl!"

The girl ran up the ramp and pressed the button to close the hatch behind her.

"We have to take off!" She said.

"But what about Gohan?" Said Bulma.

"He's staying. The ship's going to crash into the Earth, so he's staying behind to destroy it."

"But how will he get away?" Dende had regenerated his ears so he'd heard what Videl had said. "Let me heal everyone, and they can all fire their attacks inside the ship before we take off."

"It won't do any good." Said Piccolo, sadly. "During the fight in the hangar, plenty of energy attacks hit the walls but didn't even leave a scratch."

He cast his eyes downward.

"Gohan's the only one with a chance to destroy this thing."

Everyone sat in silence for a moment. Bulma was the first to pull herself together and start up the ship.

"Well then, we better get going so we can give him that chance."

Gohan felt the others' ki leaving the ship. He waited until they were a good distance away before he started. It had been over a year and a half since he'd last done this but the sensation was still familiar. He shut his eyes and brought up the mental images of his family and friends. The images were of them suffering.

He saw Piccolo sacrifice himself to protect him from Nappa's blast. He saw Dende, Vegeta and Krillin die at the hands of Frieza. He saw his mother and friends possessed by the black-water mist, released by Garlic Jnr. He saw his father give his life to save the Earth from Cell. He saw Videl get beaten, almost to death, by Spoppovich. He saw Gotenks get absorbed by the evil Buu. And he saw himself standing there, at every one of those events, unable to do a thing to stop them.

But the worst, by far, was what had happened just previously. He had allowed Snail to manipulate his mind, to take control of his body and had inflicted pain and fear upon those he cared about the most.

Gohan's eyes snapped open, his pupils were now a shining green. His white hair stood up in spikes and a golden aura surrounded his body. His love for his family and friends combined with his anger at their suffering exploded in an outburst of power. He screamed out loud as the room around him shook and began to collapse inward.

From the capsule ship, everyone watched the _Revival_s' destruction. It started with small explosions all around its' hull. The ship then appeared to shrink as it crumbled in on itself. It finished with a blinding explosion that caused everyone to turn away and cover their eyes. When they looked back, all that was left were chunks of debris that began to burn up as they fell through Earths' atmosphere.

"Gohan…" Piccolo had his eyes tightly shut and his fists clenched. He then became aware of a groaning right next to him. Goku was moving about and mumbling in his sleep. Suddenly, the saiyans' eyes opened and he cried out,

"Gohan!"

Unbuckling himself, Goku got out of his seat and ran to the nearest window. He looked out at the remains of the _Revival._

"Oh, Goku." Bulma had tears running down her face. "I'm so sor - Goku! What the hell are you doing!"

Goku put his fingers to his forehead and disappeared before everyone's startled eyes.

The second Goku rematerialized, he was struck by the numbing coldness of space. His breath caught in his throat and his chest was immediately struck by sharp pains. Forcing himself to forget this, he scanned the surrounding area for the dying energy that had woken him up. Finally, he found it.

Gohan was floating just ahead of him. His hair was black again and his blood hung suspended in the vacuum around him. Goku used his ki to propel himself towards Gohan. Grabbing his boy and holding him tightly, he put his shaking fingers to his forehead again.

Everyone turned around to see Goku collapse to the floor, with Gohan in his arms.

"Oh my god, Gohan!" Videl ran to his side, followed closely by Dende. The young namek placed his hands on his friend and light shone out of his palms. All the wounds on Gohan's body closed up and the burn marks disappeared. With a gasp, Gohan opened his eyes. He pushed himself up on his knees, and gasped again as Videl threw her arms around his neck.

"What happened?" He asked. "How did I -" But the second he heard his father groan, he knew the answer to his question.

Goku sat up with his hand on his forehead. He looked at Gohan and smiled wryly.

"Always have to be the hero, don't ya son?"

Gohan grinned.

"Right back at ya, Dad."

Dende set about healing everyone else, while Bulma returned to the pilots' seat.

"Well, now that everyone's present and accounted for, let's get back to Earth. I don't suppose any of you want to stay and finish our little party?"

"That depends." Said Goku. "Is there any food left?"

"Um, excuse me?" Dolt raised a hand nervously. "I know this is a lot to ask, and you probably don't want to do me any favors, but do you have any spare spaceships you're not using? Now that Snail's gone, I would really like to get back to my home planet."

"You don't need a spaceship." Said Goku, cheerfully. "I can get you there."

Dolt looked at him in surprise.

"You know where Rigel II is?"

"No, but I know someone who's bound to." Goku gave a little grin. "You could say, I've got friends in high places."

(Scene change)

It was dawn, the next day and the Nimbus cloud was jetting through the air, bearing two passengers. Gohan had managed to rescue Videl from her fathers' arms and was now taking her back to their university. While they were riding, Videl looked up at Gohan, watching his hair blowing in the wind.

"Y'know, I'm glad the effect those crystals had on you wasn't permanent." She said. "The white hair really didn't suit you."

Gohan looked back at her and a mischievous grin came to his face.

"Okay Nimbus, this is far enough."

The cloud came to a stop and Gohan jumped off, hovering in the air, in front of it.

"What are you doing?" Videl asked.

"Well, before his transporter got us, Snail told me and Goten that he'd discovered a way to change how people were able to control their ki. Turns out, he wasn't lying. Those crystals didn't just give me a temporary power boost."

Gohan's smile broadened, but then his face turned serious as he gave out a yell. His hair stood straight up and turned gold, his eyes went from black to green and the golden aura of a super saiyan sprung up around his body.

Videl could only stare, wide-eyed, at Gohan. His smile returned and he reached out his arms to her.

"Now, about that ride."

Videl grinned and let Gohan pick her up. An aura surrounded the both of them as Gohan sped off towards the horizon.

The End.

Phew! It's finished! Once again, a huge thanks to everyone who's reviewed this story. Knowing you've enjoyed has made it all the more fun to write. I really can't thank you enough.

My next story will be a Final Fantasy one, so if you're a FF6 fan, be sure to watch out for it. Until then, Sayonara!

Saiyanx

xxx


End file.
